TEHRAN – Six Iranian companies will participate in the 22nd Health Asia International Exhibition and Conference to be held from October 23 to 25 in Karachi, Pakistan.
The Iran Pavilion showcases the country’s achievements in the fields of infertility treatment, medical and treatment kits, laparoscopy and the pharmaceutical industry, IRNA reported.
Members of the Iranian delegation led by Morad Nemati Zargaran, Iran’s commercial attaché to Pakistan, met with Pakistan Narcotics Control Authority CEO Mohammad Ubaidullah Malik on the sidelines of the exhibition and discussed ways to develop cooperation.
Health Asia International Exhibition and Conference is the largest health and medical industry event held annually in Pakistan.
The exhibition features a wide range of medical equipment, surgical instruments, disposable supplies, hospital supplies, dental instruments and equipment, pharmaceuticals, hospital furniture, diagnostic equipment, laboratory supplies, etc.
Health Minister Mohammad Reza Zafarkandi said in March that the issue of pharmaceutical and medical equipment production and self-sufficiency in these regions is one of the government’s priorities.
He said medicines and medical devices are two important areas related to people’s health, adding: “We are trying to achieve self-sufficiency in the supply of medicines and medical devices,” IRNA reported.
In 2024, the chairman of the Federation of Iranian Medical Equipment Manufacturers and Exporters said that medical equipment worth about $20 million is exported to more than 60 countries annually.
IRNA quoted Abdulreza Yaqubzadeh as saying that more than 70% of medical equipment and 100% of regular hospital beds are domestically produced.
He added that more than 95% of certain ICU and CCU beds and more than 85% of operating room medical equipment such as anesthesia machines and other equipment are manufactured with cutting-edge technology in the country.
Yakubzadeh went on to say that the country’s medical equipment production needs are between $3 billion and $4 billion annually, of which about $1 billion is imported.
Approximately 600 medical device companies operate in the country, producing approximately 99 percent of the medicines supplied to the domestic market.
Domestic medical device manufacturers produce more than 10,000 types of medical devices and supply them to domestic and international markets. Today, a wide variety of laboratory equipment is manufactured at much lower prices than the same foreign products.
On May 12, 2024, Health Ministry official Ahmad Mosremi said that 50% of medical devices are manufactured domestically and that Iran ranks first in West Asia in medical device production, both in terms of quantity and variety, and that Iranian medical devices worth about $50 million are exported to 40 countries annually.