Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) Sunday said that Pakistan was a key partner in the current $400 billion global medical device industries as well as contributing in local economic development.
It said that stepping into the knowledge economy, Pakistan could emerge as a major global player by expanding its exports of medical device industry.
Chairman FPCCI Qurban Ali while, addressing the inaugural ceremony of AZ Diagnostic, a medical diagnosing laboratory said that exports of surgical goods and medical instruments had grown steadily along with global industry trade in the past decade and reached to $ 500 million during last financial year.
Pakistan remained a small-scale exporter of surgical instruments in global markets and during recent years, exports of these products showed a notable slowdown as new products and competitors had entered in the market, he added.
He said in order to sustain its presence in global industry Pakistan needed to adopt a specific growth strategy based on improved efficiencies, penetration into new markets and diversification of production.
He said that the lab had been established to provide better medical facilities to the public during current pandemic period on economical rates as test for diagnosing different diseases were costly, adding that this laboratory would provide tests for various diseases to under privileged segments on economical rates and would be free for needy people as well.
He informed that during the COVID-19 Pandemic the laboratory was providing free services for the needy people adding that this laboratory would conduct medical tests for the people from remote areas especially from Gilgit-Baltistan on very economical rates.
In this regard, the people of Gilgit-Baltistan will have access to all the tests including major diseases at lowest cost, adding that the laboratory was set up on modern lines and its state-of-the-art machinery has been imported from abroad to provide facilities to the people in Pakistan.
The chairman FPCCI further informed that the lab had also sought help from foreign experts and would benefited from time to time with their suggestions and advice, besides its has been specially equipped and consulted by experts from abroad which will be a great addition to the Pakistani medical industry.
