ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Commerce has followed numerous measures to increase exports of surgical instruments and goods.
A well-placed source at MoC told this scribe here on Tuesday that exports of surgical instruments exceed $300 million in fiscal year 2013-14 as export of surgical instruments increased to $261million from $221 million than the fiscal year 2012-13.
Surgical Industry of Pakistan holds a history of more than 100 years, when some British doctors got their surgical instruments repaired from the skilled workers of Sialkot and that was the foundation of Sialkot Surgical Industry while Surgical Instruments Manufacturers Association of Pakistan (SIMAP) was established in 1958 with an aim to protect and promote the art of surgical instruments manufacturing and to help solving the problems of surgical manufacturing community. SIMAP 3000 members firms more than 500,000 workers are grossly engaged in manufacturing of Surgical Instruments to meet the export commitments in the International Market.
The source said that SIMAP had been active since long, resultantly, Pakistani export of surgical instruments had a significant share in the import of even developed countries like USA, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Brazil, U.A.E, Japan, Australia and Mexico.