SIALKOT: Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has exempted Sialkot’s surgical industry and surgical instruments’ exports from Medical Devices Rules, 2017.
DRAP has also withdrew the related SRO 32 (I)/2018 dated January 16, 2018 to give boost the surgical instruments’ exports and flourish the surgical industry of Sialkot-Pakistan.
According to an official notification issued on December 06,2018 by Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan(DRAP), the DRAP officials said “ the surgical industry in Sialkot-Pakistan was indeed a complex vendor based light engineering cottage industry involving processes performed at different places by various vendors and no single surgical instrument was being manufactures under one roof. The vendors connected with surgical industry in Sialkot were huge in number (approx.3800) providing jobs to more than 150000 workers in Sialkot. It was also a fact that the surgical industry has been earning a huge foreign exchange for the country by exporting finest quality surgical instruments to world’s different countries. Therefore, better understanding of the nature of manufacturing processes involved in surgical instruments, is the need of the hour”.
The DRAP officials added in the official notification “ in the best interest of the Sialkot-Pakistan’s surgical industry and to promote the exports of surgical instruments , the DRAP competent authority, notwithstanding anything contained in SRO32(1)/2018 hereby allows exemption of surgical instruments for the purpose of export if epistemologically sustainable under the Medical Devise Rules, 2017”.
Surgical industry’s Leader Muhammad Jehangir Bajwa, Chairman Surgical Instruments Manufacturers Association of Pakistan (SIMAP) Khalilur Rehman Mughal and President
Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) Khawaja Masud Akhtar have warmly welcomed the said decision of DRAP to exempt Sialkot surgical industry from Medical Devices Rules, 2017 promulgated by Drugs Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) as well.
SCCI President Khawaja Masud Akhtar said “I am pleased to announce that the issue of Medical Devices Rules vides SRO 32 (I)/2018 dated January 16, 2018, pertaining to Surgical Instruments Industry has now been resolved and necessary exemption of Surgical Instruments for the purpose of Export has been announced by Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP)”.
SCCI senior officials led by former SCCI President Zahid Latif Malik, held several meetings with, Honorable Federal Minister for Health, Secretary, Ministry of Health and CEO Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan(DRAP), wherein we strongly condemned the inclusion of Surgical Instrument in the SRO and emphasized that the same should be exempted from newly devised Medical Device Rules keeping in view that it was one of the most important export sectors of the Country and part of 05 Export Sectors.
SCCI President Khawaja Masud Akhtar said “Today, I feel contented to share the good news regarding exemption of Sialkot’s Surgical Instruments Industry, from the Medical Device Rules by DRAP. He added that it was all possible due to strong advocacy efforts of Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry(SCCI) and continuous support by the surgical instruments manufacturers and exporters. He especially thanked Usman Dar (Special Advisor to Prime Minister on Youth Affairs) for his continuous support to the business community of Sialkot for resolution of this most burning issue.
SCCI SVP Waqas Akram Malik said that it was without a doubt a huge success of Sialkot Chamber of Commerce & Industry which was made possible by the SCCI teams, which had taken up this matter ahead this year.
SCCI SVP revealed that since the inception of the issue, Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry(SCCI) took proactive steps reaching out necessary Government quarters for its resolution and kept following it up regularly.
