Mustafa Kamal urges local production of medical devices

KARACHI: Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal urged Pakistan’s medical device industry to bring in international partners, invest in technology transfer, and reduce dependence on imports in order to ensure national health security.

“I would urge the medical device industry to bring international companies to Pakistan for local manufacturing of medical devices, enter into joint ventures, and focus on technology transfer so we can end dependence on foreign devices and ensure national health security,” Mustafa Kamal said while addressing the 8th Annual General Meeting of the Healthcare Devices Association of Pakistan (HDAP) in Karachi.

The minister said Pakistan had high expectations from its medical device sector and emphasized the need for innovation, research, and locally produced top-quality equipment for both domestic and export markets. He highlighted reforms in the registration system, claiming digitization had reduced the registration period from 18–36 months to just 20 days, with 500 devices already approved under the new system.

“We are working to create an enabling environment. Registration no longer requires visiting Islamabad. We want to restore confidence in locally manufactured devices, promote indigenous production, and build an ecosystem where Pakistan can flourish in healthcare as well as in exports,” Kamal noted.

He also touched on Karachi’s challenges with water and sanitation but stressed its potential to lead the country out of crisis if harnessed effectively.

In response, industry leaders welcomed the minister’s commitment but sought urgent tax relief. HDAP Chairman Syed Omer Ahmed said the current 18 percent sales tax on imported devices was unsustainable and should be reduced in line with the pharmaceutical industry.

“Manufacturing of medical devices is the future of Pakistan, but the high sales tax discourages both local production and imports. Rationalization of taxes would facilitate both patients and industry,” he said, also calling for contract manufacturing to be allowed and promoted like in China.

Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) CEO Dr. Obaidullah Malik described amendments to medical device rules as “the need of the hour” to support local production. He recalled how the COVID-19 pandemic underscored the vital role of devices ranging from masks and PPEs to ventilators, CPAPs, BiPAPs, and oximeters.

The AGM was attended by a large number of healthcare professionals, HDAP leadership including Masood Ahmed, and members of the industry, followed by a gala dinner and networking session.