‘Pakistan is Open for Business: A Health Tech Market Access Forum’ hosted

ISLAMABAD: Economic Minister’s office at the Pakistan High Commission in London hosted the first-ever “Pakistan is Open for Business: A Health Tech Market Access Forum,” a groundbreaking initiative aimed at collaboration between Pakistan and UK’s AI, HealthTech, and FinTech sectors.

According to the information received here on Thursday, the AI, HealthTech, and FinTech sectors are poised to drive Pakistan’s economic growth, unlocking vast opportunities for investment and collaboration. These thriving industries provide a unique gateway to forge partnerships with the UK, paving the way for innovation and global cooperation.

In this spirit, the “Pakistan is Open for Business: A Health Tech Market Access Forum,” has been organized which is a groundbreaking initiative aimed at fostering these collaborations. This event marks the launch of a series aimed at fostering collaborations between Pakistani entrepreneurs and the UK market.

The Economic Minister, Dr Samina Zehra, in her opening remarks, emphasized the pivotal role of services in modern economies, stating that “services are the lifeblood of economies, and digital connectivity is the new Silk Route.” She highlighted Pakistan’s unique opportunity to excel in knowledge-driven sectors, underscoring the Economic Wing’s commitment to fostering people-centric, sustainable collaborations between Pakistani health tech professionals and the UK health market.

The forum convened leading industry experts, entrepreneurs, and startups to address critical topics, including UK health tech regulations, leveraging AI in healthcare, and actionable strategies for integrating Pakistani innovations into the NHS ecosystem. Additionally, 40 IT companies from Pakistan attended virtually, with Pakistan Software Houses Association serving as our valued outreach partner.

There was strong audience engagement, highlighting significant interest in the discussion. Many opportunities were identified for Pakistani health tech innovations to make an impact in the UK market, particularly in addressing healthcare accessibility, cost efficiency, and digital transformation. The forum was graced by highly distinguished speakers, who offered a wide range of perspectives and actionable insights including Hassan Chaudhury, Commercial Director at the UK Health Data Research Hub, who provided a comprehensive overview of NHS structures and market opportunities; Omar Butt, Strategic Development Lead for Health Innovation at Imperial College London, who discussed scaling health tech innovations; and Shaukat Ali Khan, Global CIO at Aga Khan University and NHS Board Member, who emphasized opportunities for Pakistani startups within the UK healthcare ecosystem.

The panel discussion, moderated by Rabia Khan, Principal Epidemiologist at the UK Health Security Agency, brought together Nabeel Goheer, Chief of Asia, Middle East, and Europe at PATH; Wajid Hussain, Consultant Cardiologist and Digital Health Director at the Royal College of Physicians; Dr Sara Saeed Khurram, Co-Founder and CEO of Sehat Kahani, who discussed how their innovative and impactful telemedicine platform has transformed healthcare access for underserved communities, reaching over 2 million patients in Pakistan; and Murad Syed, Data Scientist and Founder of TenX, who collectively offered insights on market entry strategies, innovation, and fostering cross-border entrepreneurship.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024