Shaukat Ali Jawaid
Pakistan continues to import electro medical equipment, scientific instruments and other medical devices to a great extent and no sincere effort has been made to start local production. This is despite the fact that we have the technical knowhow and the facilities to produce some of these devices. During the Covid19 Pandemic National University of Science and Technology from Islamab as well as a few others had displayed a large variety of medical devices, equipment, instruments produced locally and in fact a lot of this consignment was also exported. This confirms the fact that provided there is a will and government shows interest, offers help, assistance, facilities and encouragement to local producers, a lot of it can be produced locally thus saving lot of precious foreign exchange.
When the cardiac stents racket surfaced and the Supreme Court of Pakistan took a notice, local production of stents was initiated which was much economical. However, these locally produced devices can only be promoted if those healthcare professionals who have to use them also show interest and after local trials, they are aggressively promoted and the local industry also provided some protection by curbing imports or enhancing duties and taxes on imported devices.
Prof. Abdus Samad an eminent interventional cardiologist while speaking at the second annual Pakistan Heart Valve Summit organized by National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) last year had revealed that they had discussed this issue with late Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan who assured that Pakistani scientists and medical engineers have the capability to produce good quality not only stents but valves and numerous other medical devices. However, the Pakistani healthcare professionals must promote these locally produced medical devices only then the local production and industry can progress and prosper. In this regard, he was not sure and had expressed his reservations.
It is a well-known fact that the producers of these imported medical devices offer lot of facilities, privileges, foreign tours and training opportunities to doctors to promote their products. Pakistani physicians & Surgeons also avail these facilities on regular basis. Hence, they will be very reluctant to promote locally produced medical devices as most of them won’t like to lose these foreign tours and others benefits, privileges and convince patients to opt for locally produced medical devices. It is only possible if first of all a panel of physicians and surgeons whose intellectually integrity is without any question is constituted. The government must initiate a meaningful dialogue with all the stake holders and then after clinical trials once the safety and efficacy is established, pushes their use in public sector healthcare facilities to begin with. Within few years, the situation will change but support of some physicians imbibed with national spirit and patriotism who are keen to see that Paksitan should become self-sufficient in various fields will be essential. Once a real breakthrough is made, then these physicians, surgeons as well as biomedical engineers should also be honored and awarded at the national level.
At the same time one has to be careful of different mafia groups which operates in Pakistan in different fields, health sector being no exception. They are always interested in imports because it ensures lot of commission and kickbacks to everyone, the bureaucracy, importers, and health officials and not to forget the foreign tours offered to those who use these medical devices.
