From AI diagnostics to digital hospitals, global healthcare innovation is on display.
A view of an Expo hall. Source: The Express Tribune
KARACHI:
Health Asia Exhibition is being held at the Karachi Expo Centre from the 23rd to the 25th of October, and is the largest health sector exhibition held in Pakistan with over 200 exhibitors this year and more than 24 countries participating, including Iran, China and Russia.
“The destination you have chosen – the right place to be is here,” said Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal, addressing representatives from foreign companies. “Our country’s population is growing bigger and bigger. It’s a big market…The economy is of scale here”
Below are some exhibitors who stood out at the event.
All-in-one x-ray machine — Rays Medical World
A Pakistani company specialises in manufacturing and supplying imaging equipment, such as MRI machines, CT scans, and X-ray technology. They are currently innovating with a new kind of all-in-one X-ray machine that can do both full-body imagery as well as targeted X-rays.
Director of Rays Medical World Muhammad Rafiq said that the firm has produced basic X-ray machines that are installed in several hospitals across Pakistan, and that compared to imported models, which can cost up to Rs15 million, these models cost only Rs4 million.
Read: First locally made advanced X-ray machine unveiled
Heartbeat monitoring patch — Aman Ventures
Aman Ventures has a digital health platform dubbed AViCA, which enables streamlined healthcare for patients and providers. They have released the AViCardia: a waterproof, reusable patch that provides up to 7 days of Holter Monitoring — monitoring one’s heartbeat for any irregularities — which allows patients and medical professionals to quickly check in on the patient’s heart health (a portable electrocardiogram).
“This device is the first of its kind in Pakistan,” a product manager for Aman Ventures claimed, adding that it is currently deployed at the two hospitals in Karachi. Unfortunately, their products aren’t available for consumer retail, but their product manager said that there are plans to bring this to consumers in the future. You can visit them to try and find out what their timelines are.
Customised ambulances — Al-Bashir Custom Fabrication
Specialising in custom-made automotives, they focus on the manufacture and supply of vehicles across Pakistan. Most of the vehicles they provide are made locally, and they supply hospitals with custom-made ambulances fitted to each service provider’s needs, as well as custom-made automobiles for individual and police use.
They have supplied to organisations such as the World Health Organisation, Capital Development Authority Islamabad, NADRA and more, but if you want to modify a luxury vehicle for personal use, these are the people to talk to.
Recording patient information — Boston Health AI
Integrating AI with healthcare, this company shows the “world’s first AI-powered physician’s assistant where you talk to the AI” to help in patient care. According to them, Hami the AI-assistant, can take patient histories and use technologies such as Ambient Scribe, which are AI-driven systems designed to passively listen to clinician-patient interactions, transcribe conversations, and automatically generate structured clinical notes and documentation, to provide treatment and prescription recommendations.
They add that Hami is meant to streamline the process of seeing a patient, so less time is taken with history taking and more time is spent discussing the treatment or diagnosis, and they have currently deployed the AI assistant at Aga Khan University Hospital. If you want to experience Hami for yourself, you can find out more at their booth and even request a technical demonstration.
Healthcare charity — Hammad Foundation
A Non-Profit organisation that provides charitable services such as roti banks that provide Rs10 rotis in Karachi, water plants across Balochistan and Tharparkar. They also have a medical complex in Karachi, which provides many services for only Rs50 to Rs100. Talking to the spokesperson there, we learned that these services are open to all.
We highly recommend checking out their booth and learning more about the foundation, as they have merchandise, and all money made from that goes right back as investments for their many projects.
Digital hospital — Novacare Hospital
Pakistan’s first international venture, Novacare Hospital, is slated to open its doors in Islamabad in October of 2026. They intend to follow the standards of the British National Health Service and will have international auditors come in to ensure quality control.
According to a spokesperson, the hospital will attempt to operate completely digitally as to eliminate paper usage and streamline administrative duties, and will also look to open institutions in Lahore and Karachi. Additionally, they stated that the hospital will expand to offer diverse services over time, and you can visit their booth to find out more about these services.
Cell and gene therapy — Taskin Bioregeneration
A biotechnology company based in Iran that specialises in cell and gene therapies, their DestroCell technology can be used to provide cell therapy for children with Autism by reducing inflammation in the brain, supporting brain repair and communication pathways and helping improve their social behaviour.
Their other products assist with cellular repair of wounds, both shallow and deep, and they “hope they can provide these services to Pakistan soon,” as per their spokesperson, and are interested in speaking to people who can assist them with expanding their operations. Currently, they operate in Iran and offer services to healthcare providers and educational institutions.
Infertility treatments — Behrad Royesh Royan
Another company based in Iran they are known as the “largest manufacturer of consumer medical equipment in the field of gynaecology and infertility treatment”. They have already been imported to Russia, Lebanon and Iraq, and they work closely with around 100 centres in Iran for in-vitro fertilisation (IVF).
Speaking with their representative, I learned that there have been more instances of IVFs over the past 3 years, and they believe that this will only increase. This is one of the reasons why they are interested in bringing their operations to Pakistan.
Iranian orthopaedic supplies — Mobtakeran Parsian Darman (BoneTech Co. Ltd)
Founded in Iran in 2008, this company started working in the field of designing and producing a complete basket of orthopaedic products, including bone screws, plates, maxillofacial and spinal implants. The company reportedly exports to around 55 to 60 countries and is looking to work closely with local hospitals.
