SIALKOT: Chairman Surgical Instruments Manufacturers Association of Pakistan (SIMAP) Jehangir Bajwa has asked the government to announce the advanced training programmes and workshops of the essential skills for preparing and providing the skilled labour to the surgical industry of Sialkot. The surgical industry is suffering from the shortage of skilled labour.
Addressing an important meeting of the Sialkot exporters, the SIMAP Chairman added that more than one century old surgical industry of Sialkot-Pakistan is in dire need of skilled labour. He pledged to modernize the surgical industry by ensuring early transfer of advanced manufacturing technology to this industry as well.
He assured that the surgical industry of Sialkot-Pakistan has enough potential to double the surgical exports from existing $329million within the next couple of years with the proper patronage by the government.
The Chairman SIMAP asked the surgical exporters to also focus on the diversification of traditional to non-traditional surgical instruments. He added that this direly needed early diversification could help to boost surgical instruments’ exports. He said the surgical industry is producing over 10,000 different medical instruments covering all sections of surgical, dental, veterinary, beauty and so many other products.
He said that over one century old surgical industry of Sialkot is in dire need of modernization and adoption of positive steps for advanced standards of international marketing and brand developing could help save the said industry.
He further said the Sialkot based surgical manufacturers and exporters have enough potential to capture the international markets of $1billion provided government properly patronizes Sialkot’s surgical industry, which has only 1 percent share in this world market’s consumption.
He asked the local manufacturers and exporters to focus on the diversification of traditional to non-traditional exports with a sole aim to meet the global trade challenges.
Chairman SIMAP Jehangir Bajwa revealed that the surgical industry had sought some early governmental patronage for promoting this industry in the international markets but, due to alleged negligence of government functionaries, we could not maintain the continuity of the trade and export policies in the country.
