Federal Minister for Health Syed Mustafa Kamal inaugurated on Thursday the Health Asia Exhibition at the Expo Centre Karachi.
Addressing the media, the minister termed the inauguration a historic day in Pakistan’s economic journey, and said that the nation’s healthcare department was embracing a new era of innovation.
“In the near future, the healthcare sector will become the backbone of Pakistan’s economy,” he said.
He highlighted that Pakistani pharmaceutical companies were already exporting medicines and medical equipments to various parts of the world.
He emphasised that the government, in collaboration with the private sector, was taking dedicated steps to promote pharmaceutical and medical device exports, “aiming to surpass USD 30 billion in the coming years”.
“We are currently importing vaccines, but within the next year, we will achieve the capability to manufacture all essential vaccines locally,” he said.
The health minister shared that Pakistan’s Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Regulatory Authority (DRAP) had introduced technological reforms that enabled companies to obtain licenses within 20 days using online systems.
He further said that barcoding will soon be implemented on all medicine packs, allowing the public to verify authenticity and pricing by scanning the code.
“Within the next two months, the sale of fake and overpriced medicines will be eliminated by 99 percent,” he assured.
While discussing healthcare financing, the minister said that despite an allocation of Rs1,156 billion, Pakistan still faced challenges in ensuring universal healthcare coverage.
“With just Rs210 billion, we can provide health insurance coverage to the entire population,” he stated.
Moreover, the minister also announced that Pakistan had become the 150th country to introduce the HPV cervical vaccine, which has arrived in the country after 20 years.
The three-day exhibition brings together delegates from over 50 countries and leading pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers under one roof, showcasing Pakistan’s growing potential in healthcare innovation and technology.