Health Minister Mustafa Kamal urged international stakeholders to explore partnerships in Pakistan’s rapidly evolving health landscape, highlighting the country’s “immense” potential for investment, state-run Radio Pakistan reported on Saturday.

Representing Pakistan at Boao Forum for Asia’s (BFA) Global Health Forum in Beijing yesterday, the health minister underscored that Pakistan presents “immense opportunities for collaboration, innovation and investment”.

Established in 2001, the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) is a non-profit international organisation promoting regional cooperation in Asia. It focuses on health issues related to economic development and wellbeing.

The roundtable featured health ministers from all over the world, who discussed equal access to healthcare and sustainable reforms.

“Pakistan is ready for partnerships in global health,” Kamal said, highlighting the country’s 250 million population, nursing cooperation and digital reforms.

He pointed out that there were “significant opportunities for global collaboration in the health sector”, according to a post on his X account.

The minister noted that Pakistan could play a role in mitigating a shortage of nurses and paramedics through training and cooperation.

He invited global partners to explore investment avenues, emphasising Pakistan’s commitment to providing strong returns, streamlined regulation, and government support.

“Without health, the economy cannot progress,” Kamal said.

The health minister also drew attention to the new Digital System for Licensing and Registration of Medical Devices for the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap), which was launched by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday.

At the inauguration, the premier noted that the registration of life-saving medical devices and diagnostic products in Pakistan had become a critical issue earlier this year. He expressed hope that the applications for such equipment would now be decided within 20 days.

Last month, Kamal noted that Pakistan’s healthcare system was riddled with fundamental flaws and that the solution lay not merely in building hospitals but in improving the entire environment.

The minister has also called attention towards Pakistan’s high fertility rate, high burden of both communicable and non-communicable diseases, and need to eradicate polio.