ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Health Mustafa Kamal on Monday said Pakistan will further promote medical tourism besides making advancement in matters related to visa facilitation through consultations with the country’s diplomatic missions abroad.

He was speaking to a Sudanese delegation led by the federal secretary of health of Sudan. The meeting was also attended by Secretary Health Hamid Yaqoob along with senior officials from the ministry.

The minister appreciated the constructive engagement of the Sudanese delegation and underscored Pakistan’s commitment to expanding collaboration across multiple areas of healthcare.

The Sudanese delegation briefed the minister on the current challenges being faced by Sudan’s health sector and shared details of a comprehensive five-year strategic framework developed by Sudan, encompassing approximately 45 health-related projects.

The delegation sought Pakistan’s cooperation in the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the health sector, provision of medical equipment and technologies, restoration of solar energy solutions for health facilities and enhancement of institutional collaboration.

Mr Kamal said Pakistan remained committed to further strengthening health-sector cooperation with Sudan. He said Pakistan was ready to support the training of Sudanese medical personnel, facilitate the exchange of experts and promote knowledge and experience sharing. He added that Pakistan does not wish to limit cooperation to any single domain.

The minister said pharmaceuticals, medical devices and regulatory matters fall within the mandate of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap), noting Pakistan’s ongoing progress towards achieving WHO Regulatory Maturity Level 3.

To ensure effective and timely progress, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would expedite the process of finalising a memorandum of understanding through close coordination.

Published in Dawn, December 9th, 2025