Karachi: At a time when Pakistan’s hospitals remain heavily dependent on imported and donor-funded medical equipment, locally manufactured, internationally certified critical care and surgical devices were handed over this week to two of the country’s leading public and philanthropic healthcare institutions, highlighting both the promise of indigenous innovation and the scale of Pakistan’s reliance on foreign medical technology.
The Saman-e-Shifa Foundation has donated CE-certified, Made-in-Pakistan diathermy machines to the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) in Karachi and Indus Hospital and Health Network, along with CE-certified orthopaedic power tool bags and a DRAP-approved locally manufactured ICU ventilator for Indus Hospital.
The equipment has been developed by local manufacturers and certified to meet international safety and quality standards.
Dr Shahid Noor, who oversaw the initiative, said the handover was part of an effort to demonstrate that Pakistan is capable of producing high-quality medical devices for its own hospitals.
He said locally produced equipment can reduce dependence on costly imports, cut procurement delays and strengthen national preparedness during emergencies.
Dr Noor stressed that building trust in indigenous medical technology was essential if Pakistan wanted to move towards self-reliance in healthcare.
Health experts say the donations reflect a wider but still fragile push to localise medical device manufacturing in Pakistan, a sector long dominated by imports despite repeated calls by policymakers to promote domestic production. While Pakistan assembles some basic equipment, most advanced ICU, surgical and diagnostic devices are still procured from abroad, often through donor support or foreign-funded programmes.
Prof. Dr Abdul Bari Khan, president of Indus Hospital and Health Network, welcomed the addition of locally manufactured, internationally certified equipment, saying that access to reliable surgical and critical care devices directly impacts patient outcomes in high-volume public sector hospitals.
He said Pakistan’s healthcare system needed sustained investment in quality local manufacturing, not just one-off donations, to ensure that lifesaving care is not disrupted due to supply chain issues, currency fluctuations or import restrictions.
At NICVD, which performs thousands of cardiac procedures every year and caters largely to poor patients, the CE-certified diathermy machine is expected to support precision surgeries and improve efficiency in operating theatres. Officials at the institute said the collaboration with local manufacturers on developing specialised devices for cardiac care could help tailor equipment to Pakistan’s specific clinical needs, something that imported products often fail to address.
Dr Tahir Sagheer said Pakistan’s medical device sector remained underdeveloped despite having engineering talent and a growing clinical demand. He said closer collaboration between hospitals, regulators and local manufacturers was needed to ensure devices are clinically appropriate, affordable and compliant with international standards. Without a structured national policy to support research, testing and scaling up of indigenous medical technology, he warned, Pakistan would continue to lag behind and remain dependent on imports for critical care.
Regulatory officials point out that while DRAP has put in place approval mechanisms for locally produced devices, the ecosystem needed to encourage innovation, clinical trials and hospital adoption remains weak.
Experts say hospitals are often reluctant to shift away from foreign brands due to concerns over after-sales support, maintenance and long-term reliability, issues that local manufacturers must address if indigenous devices are to gain wider acceptance.
The handover of equipment to NICVD and Indus Hospital comes against the backdrop of Pakistan’s broader struggle to strengthen its public healthcare infrastructure amid rising disease burdens, limited budgets and recurrent emergencies. While such initiatives showcase the potential of local manufacturing, health professionals caution that sporadic donations cannot substitute for a coherent national strategy to build a resilient, self-reliant medical technology sector.
They argue that without sustained policy support, funding for research and development, and institutional partnerships between hospitals and manufacturers, Pakistan will continue to depend on imported equipment for critical care, leaving its health system vulnerable to external shocks and supply disruptions.