TEHRAN – Forty Iranian knowledge-based companies are participating in the Afghanistan Health Exhibition in Kabul from December 2nd to 4th.
The three-day event provides a valuable platform for knowledge-based companies to showcase their latest products and achievements in the healthcare field. They also aim to establish a permanent presence in the Afghan market, ISNA reports.
Mehdi Pir Salehi, head of the Food and Drug Administration, is scheduled to visit the Iran pavilion at the exhibition to support Iran.
In addition to the exhibition, Mr. Pir Salehi will hold a meeting with Afghan health officials to discuss increasing cooperation in the health and pharmaceutical fields.
Self-sufficiency in pharmaceuticals and medical equipment
Health Minister Mohammad Reza Zafarkandi said that the production and self-sufficiency of medicines and medical equipment 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.
On January 13, the chairman of the Federation of Iranian Medical Equipment Manufacturers and Exporters said that approximately $20 million worth of medical equipment 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.
MT/MG