The 3rd Healthcare Expo & Conference 2026, held over three days at the Karachi Expo Centre, brought together healthcare, tourism, and government stakeholders to map out Pakistan’s path toward becoming a competitive Health & Medical Tourism destination. The event was organized by Badar Expo Solutions under Organizing Secretary Dr. Abid Abbas Sheikh.
Spotlight Session: Unlocking Pakistan’s Health Tourism Potential
A central conference session, “Heal in Pakistan: Unlocking Pakistan’s Potential for Health Tourism,” was moderated by Professor Farhan Essa, with Arshad Qaim Khani, CEO of the Prime Minister’s Federal Sehat Sahulat Programme, chairing the discussion. The panel included senior voices from military medical services, public hospitals, diagnostics, hospitality, and destination management — including Maj. Gen. (Retd.) Iftikhar Ahmed Satti, Nasir Saleem (Director, JPMC), Irfan Hilal Ahmed (CEO, Dreamworld Resort), Adv. Hana Farhan Essa, and Umar Khan (Founder & CEO, Born Xplorer DMC).
The Economic Case for Medical Tourism
Umar Khan, speaking from a tourism industry perspective, pointed to Pakistan’s over US$1 billion in 2024 tourism receipts, generated largely through conventional tourism. He argued that health and medical travelers deliver significantly higher spend per visitor, since medical tourism typically bundles healthcare costs with accommodation, transport, extended stays, and family companion travel — creating deeper economic impact per traveler than standard tourism.
Overseas Pakistanis as the Starting Market
Khan proposed a phased strategy: target overseas Pakistanis first, since many already travel home for affordable, quality medical and dental treatment. Organizing and formally promoting this existing segment, he suggested, could build the foundation for a broader push into international medical tourism markets.
Cross-Sector Collaboration Emphasized
Panelists repeatedly stressed that scaling medical tourism requires coordinated effort across healthcare providers, tourism operators, government bodies, and the private sector. The potential beneficiaries span a wide value chain — hospitals, doctors, travel agencies, hotels, airlines, transport providers, diagnostic centers, and insurers — with knock-on effects for foreign exchange earnings and local employment.
The session closed with certificates of appreciation presented to all panelists. The conference reflected continued efforts by Zohair Naseer, CEO of Badar Expo Solutions, to position the Healthcare Expo & Conference as a recurring platform for collaboration in Pakistan’s healthcare sector.