ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s globally recognized surgical instruments industry is eyeing Saudi Arabia as a “lucrative” growth market, as the Kingdom ramps up investment in health care infrastructure under its Vision 2030 reform agenda, an industry representative said.

Pakistan ranks among the world’s leading exporters of surgical instruments, with most production concentrated in the eastern city of Sialkot. The sector exported instruments worth around $445 million last year, according to the Surgical Instruments Manufacturers Association of Pakistan (SIMAP), supplying hospitals and distributors across Europe, North America and parts of Asia.

Exports to Saudi Arabia, however, have remained relatively limited, despite the Kingdom’s growing health care needs and expanding hospital network.

That is beginning to change as Saudi Arabia accelerates health care investment under Vision 2030, a sweeping economic transformation plan aimed at reducing dependence on oil and expanding public services. The strategy includes large-scale hospital construction, greater private-sector participation in health care delivery, and plans to position the Kingdom as a regional hub for medical treatment and tourism. Industry analysts say this expansion is expected to drive sustained demand for imported medical equipment and surgical instruments.

“It means the demand of surgical instruments will eventually rise [in the Kingdom],” SIMAP Chairman Dr. Zeeshan Tariq said in an interview with Arab News late last month.

“So, it’s a very lucrative and very attractive market for us right now and we want to tap that potential as soon as possible and as better as possible.”

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia maintain a long-standing strategic relationship spanning political, security and economic cooperation, underpinned by deep religious and cultural ties. In recent months, the two countries have stepped up economic engagement, including high-level visits, a defense cooperation pact signed in September, and an economic framework agreed the following month to expand bilateral trade and investment.

“Our people have gone there, and they have found some very good opportunities there and Saudi government is actively working with our government to improve that volume and recently we have [had] some high-level delegation visits,” Tariq said.

“After these visits, there have been some MoUs (memorandums of understanding) signed too. So, we are very hopeful that it will be a good opportunity.”

To capitalize on Saudi demand, Pakistani manufacturers are also navigating regulatory requirements in the Kingdom, where certification from the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) is mandatory for medical and surgical equipment.

SIMAP has been holding seminars and training sessions to help exporters understand Saudi regulatory standards and compliance procedures. The association is also planning to establish a dedicated research and development (R&D) cell to support manufacturers seeking to upgrade product quality and meet international certification requirements.

Tariq said Saudi Arabia’s long-term health care ambitions made it a particularly attractive market for Pakistani exporters.

“There is a huge potential because I have been in talks with many Saudi government officials and they want to make Saudi Arabia the hub of medical tourism or medical treatment in all GCC and eventually all over the world,” he said.