Call to start producing healthcare equipment locally to benefit poor patients

An eminent surgeon and medical director of Liaquat National Hospital, Dr Salman Faridi, has urged investors to start manufacturing medical equipment in Pakistan instead of importing it into the country, saying local manufacturing of healthcare equipment would directly and indirectly benefit poor patients.

“Stents used in cardiac interventions are very simple devices that can be made within a few hundred or thousand rupees but we are still importing them with hundreds of dollars, which become thousands of rupees. Similarly, various scanning equipment including CT scans requires no more rocket science for manufacturing locally,” he said while speaking at the 2nd Karachi Healthcare Products fair which was held at the hospital.

During the two-day healthcare products fair, organised by Liaquat National Hospital in its premises, over 140 vendors, importers, suppliers and producers of the healthcare products showcased their products by setting-up stalls with displays, brochures and the teams of experts to provide an insight view of their products.

Among the exhibitors were medical technologies and diagnostics, laboratory analytical equipment, surgical and pharmacy equipment, rehabilitation products, patient safety systems, infrastructure for healthcare setups and general goods providers in healthcare.

A large number of healthcare providers, including surgeons, physicians, dentists, hospital owners, directors, hospital officials, pharmacists, physiotherapists, researchers, biologists, chemists, healthcare NGOs, rehabilitation aids, and visitors from medical colleges and universities, visited the fair and learnt about the latest equipment and technology available in the world in the field of healthcare.

Talking to newsmen, Dr Salman Faridi said bringing the competitors to such an event would help buyers to negotiate the prices of the products, which in the end would benefit the patients.

He added that all the income of tehe exhibition would go to the Liaquat National Hospital’s patient welfare charity. Dr Ataur Rehman, the organiser of the event, talking to the media, said that such events gave an opportunity to reach out to the people in general and to the professionals in particular.