The government is preparing an ambitious plan to turn the country into a regional hub for global health tourism, targeting up to $10 billion in annual revenue within five years. The initiative, developed by the SIFC, Ministry of Health, and Health Tourism Working Group, aims to attract patients worldwide with quality treatment at lower costs. The government sees health tourism as a way to advance healthcare, tourism, and economic prosperity together.
India and Turkiye already have established medical hubs, with thousands travelling for treatment, so Pakistan has successful models to look to as it develops its own health tourism sector.
Pakistan has three advantages, says Ali Ehsan of the Policy Research Institute of Market Economy: many qualified doctors, a developed private medical sector, and the fact that medicine in Pakistan is very westernised, with many doctors holding foreign qualifications.
“Yes, Turkiye and India have established medical markets, but I think Pakistan also has some role to play here and can absorb a major portion of medical tourists here,” Ehsan believes. — SPUTNIK
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