Daily Times

Pakistan is facing an escalating shortage of medical devices, and if the registration process is not expedited and timeline extension deadlines for all classes and types of medical devices are not extended, the country could soon be dealing with a major healthcare crisis.

This demand was made by the leaders of Healthcare Devices of Pakistan, the Pakistan Chemists and Druggists Association (PCDA), and the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) during a press conference at the Karachi Press Club.

Chairman of Healthcare Devices of Pakistan, Syed Umar Ahmed, stated that the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) had set a registration deadline of December 31, 2024, for medical device imports. He demanded of the government to accelerate the registration process and extend the deadline to prevent a worsening crisis.

Spokesperson for Healthcare Devices of Pakistan, Adnan Siddiqui, highlighted that 90% of Pakistan’s medical devices are imported, including surgical instruments, diagnostic machines, MRIs, CT scans, cardiac stents, dialysis machines, and other essential medical equipment. He stressed that without an efficient registration system, hospitals will struggle to provide life-saving treatments, including cardiac surgeries, organ transplants, and other advanced medical procedures.

Chairman of the Pakistan Chemists and Druggists Association (PCDA), Abdul Samad Budhani emphasized that this is not just an issue for importers or the medical device industry but a national problem. Without urgent intervention to expedite registrations and extend deadlines, hospitals across the country will face a severe shortage of critical medical supplies in the coming months.

Representative of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), Abid Maniar, called for immediate government intervention to resolve the crisis. He urged the authorities to adopt a more efficient mechanism to ensure timely registration of medical devices, allowing hospitals to access modern healthcare technologies. Leaders of Healthcare Devices of Pakistan appealed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal to take immediate notice of the crisis, extend the registration deadline for all medical devices, and implement urgent measures to accelerate the approval process.