The United Kingdom's Minister for South Asia, Alistair Burt, during his visit to Karachi witnessed the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Mobicare, a British medical company, and the Sindh Ministry of Health here on Wednesday at the British Deputy High Commission. The Minister of Health, Dr Sagheer Ahmed, also witnessed the signing.
Talking to reporters on this occasion Burt said this partnership is an excellent example of trade relationship between the UK and Pakistan. Mobicare is one of 100 British companies who have chosen to invest in Pakistan and the signing of this MoU will not only help to improve the health service in Sindh but also create local job opportunities. "I am proud that the United Kingdom Trade and Investment (UKTI) team locally played a key role, which I hope will encourage others to follow a similar path", he added.
Chief Executive Officer of Mobicare, Shahzad Ali said Mobicare has chosen to invest in Pakistan as it sees a growing and unfulfilled demand for the convenient, cost effective health services that, simultaneously, does not compromise on the overall quality of service and delivery. This partnership with the Ministry of Health, Sindh beckons a new dawn of preventative and primary level health services that seek to provide greater access to good quality health care for the people in Pakistan. Additionally hundreds of jobs around Pakistan shall be enabled through this critical and strategic partnership. "We also seek to establish a benchmark and encourage further Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to address the growing demands and needs of this emerging market", he said.
Mobicare and the Ministry of Health, Sindh will be partnering to bring a Tele Primary Care Hotline (Mobicare Wellness Hotline) service in Pakistan. The UK government is fully committed to build on the bilateral trade relationship between UK and Pakistan in health and other sectors. Over £ 1bn worth of trade already flows between the two countries every year and with the recent announcement from British prime minister, David Cameron, trade figures are to increase to £2.5bn by 2015.