Earlier this month, Sri Lankan doctors were ringing alarm bells over the state’s failure to procure essential life-saving drugs. And while medical practitioners in Pakistan have not yet sent out a distress signal, news reports of a dire shortage of necessary medicines are a great cause of concern. As the petering out of crucial treatments prescribed for psychiatric illnesses has been pinpointed by key physicians, the pharmaceutical companies continue to throw their hands up in the air. Citing the never-before-seen rupee devaluation, their associations have sighed helplessness: who in their right minds would sell a product below the production cost? Nevertheless, market forces alone cannot dictate the status quo in a sector deemed so crucial to the well-being of millions. We’ve had repeated bouts of shortages (some, even created artificially) wherein the ordinary men and women have had to suffer the wrath of the apathy of those appointed as their rulers. The early pandemic days were rife with the chronic absence of asthma inhaler medication and the national cure for anything and everything, paracetamol from the pharmacies’ shelves. Those who twisted the arms left, right and centre because of their monopoly over anti-malaria drugs are known to all and sundry. But whether the overwhelming demand-pull of the days gone by or the supply woes of today, Islamabad needs to immediately weigh in on its options. Yes, no one expects the free market to deliver affordable health cover and the government is in no position to jump into the ground wearing messiah’s armour. No qualms about that. But desperate times call for desperate measures. Streamlining the financial affairs or handing out (possibly?) one-time lifelines should be of paramount importance to not just alleviate the suffering of scores and scores of its citizens but also to water down the flames of uncertainty. Nothing turbocharges chaos on a sinking ship than signs of doom and gloom. Pakistan is in no position to let any such cat out of the bag, may it be speculation over the currency crash or the tightened drawstrings to save every little penny. Still, once the tide rolls out, the forever-in-vogue question of accountability of pharma giants as they continue to churn millions upon millions in profits would be a good starting point. *