Pakistan’s first cardiac stent manufacturing facility opens

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s first cardiac stent manufacturing facility was opened on Friday by Prime Minister Imran Khan, who said the affordable stents could benefit the financially weaker segments of society.

The facility, N-ovative Health Technologies at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) has started mass production of cardiac stents and angioplasty balloon catheters for the general public at affordable prices.

A cardiac stent is used to treat narrowed or blocked coronary arteries. It can also be used to improve blood flow immediately following a heart attack. The country’s first coronary stent system has features including low recoil, superior cobalt chromium alloy, optimum crossing profile and crush resistance, and excellent bio-compatibility.

The facility will produce medical devices and implantsincluding bare-metal Stents (BMS), drug-eluting stents (DES) and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty balloon catheters (PTCA balloon catheters).

The Prime Minister said with a large number of heart patients in the country, the step was significant in the provision of medical treatment with a significant price difference which can help the financially weaker sections of society.

He expressed satisfaction over NUST setting a precedent of an academia-industry linkup, which he said, was extremely important in exploring the benefits of knowledge and innovation in true spirit.

He said excelling in the field of science and technology could not be difficult for a country which developed nuclear capabilities, however the “fracture mindset” was the main reason behind such lagging.

“We, as nation, need to set ahead clear goals with all institutions and government departments working in unison for their achievement,” he said.Khan stressed that increasing exports and wealth creation were the vital targets in order to avoid approaching the International Monetary Fund and also referred to the examples of China and Turkey that focused on exports for economic stability.

He said the government was encouraging local and foreign investments to stimulate a business boom in the country. He termed overseas Pakistanis the country’s “biggest asset” and emphasised creating an enabling environment to benefit from their investment and expertise.

Khan said the government’s top priority would be creating a knowledge economy to tap the full potential of the world’s second youngest population.