Mahnoor Anasr
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday formally launched the Digital System for Licensing and Registration of Medical Devices, a transformative initiative aimed at streamlining and modernizing Pakistan’s healthcare regulation process. With this development, medical device registration and licensing will now be completed online within just 20 days — a drastic improvement from the earlier manual process that often took years.
Addressing the launching ceremony in Islamabad, the Prime Minister hailed the initiative as a milestone towards efficient governance and transparent decision-making. “This digital system will not only enhance the speed of processing applications but also eliminate human intervention, ensuring transparency and fairness,” he said. “Decisions that once took years will now be completed in a matter of weeks.”
He emphasized that Pakistan has the potential and talent to revolutionize the medical and healthcare sector, and the introduction of digital governance mechanisms is a step in the right direction. “We are witnessing a new era of e-governance, which is aligned with our broader vision for a digital Pakistan,” he remarked.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also expressed optimism that the healthcare industry, with such innovative tools, could attract greater investment and foster public-private collaboration. He underlined the need to replicate such models in other regulatory sectors to improve service delivery across the board.
Speaking earlier, Federal Minister for National Health Services, Syed Mustafa Kamal, explained that the new digital system enables applicants to submit their requests for licenses and registration completely online. “There will be no physical paperwork or human interaction in the application process,” he said. “The license or registration will be issued online within 20 days, provided all requirements are met.”
The health minister said the platform will not only benefit manufacturers and importers but also ensure that only certified, safe, and high-quality medical devices are allowed in the market. He stressed that the initiative reflects the government’s commitment to ensuring patient safety and fostering a robust regulatory ecosystem.
Officials from the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), IT professionals, and members of the medical device industry also attended the ceremony and lauded the government’s step toward digitalization and regulatory efficiency.
This development is expected to significantly reduce bureaucratic hurdles and help align Pakistan’s medical device regulation system with international best practices.
