Pakistan’s fractured health system needs a common platform through which government hospitals, private providers and non-governmental organisations can share expertise, strengthen referral links and extend quality care to underserved communities, health leaders said at the closing session of the three-day 23rd Health Asia International Exhibition and Conferences.
They said the proposed ‘Healthy Pakistan Network’ should move beyond conferences and declarations by connecting organisations already delivering care in different parts of the country, improving coordination during emergencies and helping weaker facilities adopt safer clinical, management and patient-protection practices.
The proposal was discussed at a stakeholders’ moot on health NGOs, titled ‘Breaking Silos: Collaborate to Transform Healthcare in Pakistan’, where the participants pledged to exchange experience, pool expertise and work towards practical partnerships for better access to health care.
Muhammad Arshad Qaimkhani, chief executive officer of the Sehat Sahulat Programme, proposed the Healthy Pakistan Network and said the Federal Ministry of National Health Services could lead the initiative by bringing public, private and charitable facilities onto one collaborative platform.
He said stronger institutions should support smaller organisations through training, protocols, referral arrangements and technical assistance, while experienced NGOs could also help public hospitals improve patient safety, preparedness and service delivery.
He referred to the recent PIMS nursery fire and said public hospitals must become safer places for the patients and staff. The session was chaired by Indus Hospital and Health Network president Prof Dr Abdul Bari Khan. The participants included Alkhidmat Foundation Pakistan President Prof Dr Hafeezur Rehman, Patient Aid Foundation’s Mushtaq Chapra, Health Research Advisory Board Chairman Prof Dr Abdul Basit, ChildLife Foundation Chief Executive Ahson Rabbani, neurologist Prof Muhammad Wasey, Prof Tipu Sultan, Pakistan Medical Association Secretary General Dr Abdul Ghafoor Shoro, Pakistan Islamic Medical Association President-elect Dr Ahmed Salman Ghauri, Prevention of Blindness Trust President Dr Misbahul Aziz, and HealthRAB and Pakistan Psychiatric Society leader Prof Iqbal Afridi.
International speakers and delegates from the United Kingdom, United States, Middle East and other countries also attended the event. Health Asia organiser Dr Zakiuddin Ahmed said the annual platform was intended to connect policymakers, clinicians, hospitals, industry, researchers and civil society so that discussions could lead to affordable and safer services rather than remain limited to exhibition halls.
Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal, who inaugurated the exhibition and attended its concluding day, said health policy must encourage both investment and local capacity. He said the ministry and the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan were working to streamline medical-device regulation, digitise processes and facilitate credible manufacturers without compromising quality or patient safety.
At a conference on boosting medical-device development, Kamal questioned the rationale for the 18 per cent tax on imported life-saving equipment and said Pakistani manufacturers of quality devices should receive policy support. He said agreements worth $663 million and memorandums of understanding valued at about $1.2 billion signed during the Pakistan-China pharmaceutical and healthcare business conference should generate technology transfer, employment, local production and exports.
Saman-e-Shifa Foundation chairman Prof Dr Syed Shahid Noor said Pakistan imported medical devices worth nearly $3 billion annually despite local capacity to produce several DRAP-approved products. He called for a predictable national policy, quality certification, research support and public procurement opportunities for domestic manufacturers.
The event also hosted 26 conferences, seminars and workshops across four venues at Karachi Expo Centre. The programme covered healthcare quality and patient safety, diabetes, digital health, pharmaceutical marketing, emergency medicine, medical tourism, healthcare accreditation, public and population-health priorities, artificial intelligence, cyberbiosecurity, midwifery, mental health, medical-device development, cardiac perfusion and surgery, plastic surgery, gynaecology and radiology.
Sessions on palliative care and pain management highlighted the need for wider availability of compassionate, multidisciplinary care for people living with cancer and other life-limiting illnesses. Other discussions examined electronic medical records, hospital information systems, laboratory security, ethical marketing, local innovation and the role of trained allied health professionals.
The exhibition brought together more than 200 companies, hospitals, universities and health organisations, with over 600 stalls across five halls and participation from Pakistan and several countries.
The speakers said the real measure of the event would be whether its proposals produced continuing partnerships, safer hospitals, stronger primary care, responsive referral systems and measurable improvements for patients, particularly those who could not afford private treatment.
