Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has inaugurated Pakistan’s first digital system for the licensing and registration of medical devices.
The inauguration ceremony, held in Islamabad, was attended by Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and other key officials.
Speaking at the event, PM Shehbaz praised the Ministry of Health and its team for their vital work in digitizing the registration system. He also noted that the CEO of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) was appointed purely on merit.
Shehbaz Sharif acknowledged that a hospital project funded by a friendly nation had been stalled but, thanks to timely intervention by the health minister, efforts are now underway to revive it. He also expressed regret that many capable individuals within DRAP had been previously overlooked.
The Prime Minister lauded Mustafa Kamal’s contributions to healthcare, emphasizing that while revolutionizing the medical sector is challenging, it is not impossible. “If the nation stands united, we can change Pakistan’s destiny,” he stated, urging collective responsibility to transform the country.
He commended the Ministry of Health’s digitalization efforts, which began during the previous PDM government, as a positive step toward institutional reform and public accountability.
Highlighting a major improvement, the Prime Minister revealed that under the new system, medical devices can now be registered within just 20 days—a process that previously took years and was marred by corruption. He emphasized that transparency, merit, and reform are the foundations of strong institutions.
PM Shehbaz also credited the success of the Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology to the leadership of General Azhar Kiani and stressed that such healthcare models should be replicated nationwide.
On the occasion, he reaffirmed his government’s commitment to ensuring the availability of quality medicines and eliminating corruption from the healthcare system.
