KARACHI: Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal on Thursday called for greater investment in the healthcare sector, including preventive healthcare and health technologies, warning that the needs of Pakistan’s 260 million people were growing faster than the capacity of its health system.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the 23rd Health Asia International Exhibition and Conferences at the Expo Centre, he said 6.7 million children were born annually and Pakistan could become the world’s fourth most populous country by 2030. He warned that illness among even a small proportion of the population could overwhelm hospitals and other health facilities.

The minister said federal health authorities had increased bed capacity in Islamabad from 2,100 to 2,595 during the past 14 months. Building 15 new hospitals could take 15 years, while expanding beds and services at existing facilities could provide quicker relief, he added. The federal minister said Chinese companies had signed agreements to invest $663 million in Pakistan’s health sector.

The organisers said Health Asia was expected to generate more than $100 million in business during its three-day run. More than 20,000 visitors attended the exhibition on its opening day, they said. The inaugural ceremony also featured the signing of two memorandums of understanding. One aims to improve certification standards for healthcare facilities, while the other seeks to expand access to medical consultations through telemedicine.

23rd Health Asia International Exhibition and Conferences open at Expo Centre

After inaugurating the exhibition, the federal minister visited stalls operated by Pakistani medical-device manufacturers and said increasing domestic production could reduce reliance on imported healthcare equipment. He also invited foreign manufacturers to enter technology-transfer partnerships with Pakistani companies to help develop long-term domestic manufacturing capacity.

More than 200 exhibitors from 29 countries are participating in the event, which features over 600 stalls across five halls. The exhibition has been organised by E-commerce Gateway Pakistan in collaboration with the federal health ministry and will continue until Saturday.

Dr Zakiuddin Ahmed said the conference programme was intended to bring clinicians, policymakers, universities and the healthcare industry together to identify practical solutions to Pakistan’s health challenges.

He said discussions on digital health, patient safety, clinical standards and workforce training should ultimately result in safer treatment, improved professional practices and better access to healthcare for patients.

Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2026