Proposed medical city

Spread across more than two miles, medical city to help people seek treatment at comparatively low cost

Overseas Pakistanis have come up with a brilliant idea of establishing a one-of-a-kind state-of-the-art Karachi World Medical City. According to the concept presented by the Non-Resident Pakistanis (NRP) of Washington DC at the Pak American Cultural Centre, the city will be spread across an area of more than two miles to help not just the local population but people from the greater Asia continent to seek treatment at comparatively low cost. This is the type of holistic investment that Pakistan desperately requires.

While it has been made clear that this will not be a welfare or social programme, a business venture on such a massive level will indeed aid the struggling economy and help open up new avenues. Foreign investment along with the introduction of medical tourism in the country will help counter depleting foreign reserves and generate many jobs for locals. It will also urge others investing in the medical field to look into Pakistan as a huge potential market. Perhaps this could be the missing motivation Pakistan needs to revamp the rest of the local healthcare sector. Such a medical city would also encourage overseas Pakistanis and others living abroad to send their children to medical schools within Pakistan. It will also foster the growth of the medical equipment industry in Sialkot. This might also prove to be a clever way of mitigating the brain drain issue and many professionals will have incentive to come back or at least visit their home country.

Since it is a business venture with the goal to make a profit, careful analysis must be done of the target audience as access to proper healthcare is already a wicked problem with many not being able to afford treatment. It must also be considered that the initiative might exacerbate urbanisation even more in Karachi. Logistical challenges will need to be clarified before moving further.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 7^th, 2023.

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