Breaking Barriers - Pakistan Made Movement's First Landmark Event

Breaking Barriers – the Pakistan Made Movement’s first landmark event, was held in collaboration with Salim Habib University (SHU), Drug Regulatory Authority in Pakistan (DRAP), Saman-e-Shifa Foundation (SSF), and AIKA Technology, on Saturday, June 14, 2025, at Dr. Iram Auditorium, Fatima Business School, SHU.

Chief Guest Mr. Syed Mustafa Kamal, Federal Minister of National Health Services Regulations & Coordination, was warmly welcomed by Vice Chancellor SHU Prof. Dr. Syed Irfan Hyder, Chief Operating Officer of The Salim Habib Education Foundation Mr. Muhammad Abbas, Registrar Dr. Muhammad Hussain Habib, CEO Indus Hospital Health Network Dr. Abdul Bari Khan, Chairman Saman-e-Shifa Foundation Prof. Dr. Syed Shahid Noor, Dean Faculty of Management Sciences Prof. Dr. Amanat Ali Jalbani, Dean Faculty of Engineering Prof. Dr. Muhammad Zeeshan Ul Haq and representatives from the faculties of Pharmacy, Biomedical Engineering, and Social Sciences, SHU. During the event, Mr. Syed Mustafa Kamal addressed the audience in an inspiring talk, while Dr. Saif-ur-Rehman Khattak, Additional Director DRAP, delivered the Welcome Address. Dr. Muhammad Hussain and Prof. Dr. Amanat Ali Jalbani delivered the Vote of Thanks as well.

Breaking Barriers, which aimed to redefine Pakistan’s healthcare sector by strengthening local device manufacturing, brought together medical professionals, academicians, industry experts, innovators, and policy makers, both within the country and internationally.

Session 1 of the event featured keynote speeches by renowned industry experts and academicians, namely Engr. Riasat Ali Changezi, Chairman R&D SSF, Prof. Dr. Syed Shahid Noor, Chairman SSF, Prof. Dr. Syed Irfan Hyder, Vice Chancellor SHU, Dr. Obaidullah, CEO DRAP, Dr. Junaid Syed, Co-Founder & CTO Kolojic Ltd., and Mr. Abdul Rehman Allana, Chairman Alsons Group.

A major highlight of this session was an invigorating panel discussion titled Quality Device Manufacturing in Pakistan: Challenges and Opportunities, which featured Dr. Gohar Ejaz, Representative Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), Mr. Obaidullah, CEO DRAP, Prof. Dr. Shahid Noor, Chairman SSF, Prof. Dr. Irfan Hyder, Vice Chancellor SHU, Mr. Masood Ahmed, CEO Hospicare, Ms. Anjum Hijab, Founder & CEO AtPulse, and Mr. Zafar Mehmood, CEO viSole Group. The session was skillfully moderated by Mr. Omer Ahmed, Chairman Healthcare Devices Association Pakistan (HDAP).

Session 2 of this landmark event continued the momentum with a lineup of further thought-provoking presentations based on cutting-edge research delivered by renowned professionals and specialists, including Mr. Murtaza Askari, Senior Director Engineering Skorpios Technologies, Inc., and Dr. Christopher James, Senior Executive Officer – DeepTech Portfolio, DTU – Technical University of Denmark.

During this session, another dynamic and insightful panel discussion on Transitioning from Imports to Local Manufacturing, featured industry experts and educationists namely, Dr. Arsalan Ali Siddiqui, CRO ConnecTech Pvt. Ltd., Dr. Muhammad Fakhruddin Amir, Director Medical Devices DRAP, Dr. Fouzia Sadiq, Group Director Medical Alsons Group, Prof. Dr. M. Zahid Azam, Professor Dow University of Health Sciences, Mr. Sajid Ali Khan Tareen, CEO Solunox Pvt. Ltd., Mr. Shahan Irshad, Business Unit Head Sind Medical Stores, and Dr. Farhan Essa, CEO Dr. Essa Laboratory and Diagnostic Center. The session was moderated by Mr. Naeem Khanani, CEO Magna Engineering Pvt. Ltd., whose thoughtful moderation added more depth to the discussion.

In conclusion, Breaking Barriers was a phenomenal event that highlighted the need of creating an ecosystem that bridges the gap between academia and industry to drive growth and innovation in medical device innovation and transform the healthcare sector. We are proud to have hosted such a groundbreaking event and are certain that Fatima Business School, a hub of research, academic excellence, and emerging technologies, will host more landmark events in the future that will also drive innovation and enrich the global landscape of science and research.