Federal Health Minister Asks OIC-COMSTECH to Promote Traditional Medicine for Human Health of Pakistani Population.
ISLAMABAD (GNP) :- Federal Minister for Health Syed Mustafa Kamal termed the conference a timely initiative on an important subject. He urged OIC-COMSTECH to actively promote traditional medicine and said Pakistan’s healthcare system must shift greater focus towards prevention so that citizens remain healthy rather than relying solely on treatment after illness.
The minister expressed hope that Pakistan could emerge as a shining star in adopting and promoting traditional herbal medicine. He observed that despite strong indigenous traditions in herbal healing, the sector had not progressed adequately due to lack of patronage, structured support and effective marketing.
Pakistan–China International Conference on Food-Medicine Homology, Nutrition, and Health was inaugurated at the Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST), bringing together leading scientists, policymakers, regulators and industry experts from Pakistan and China to strengthen bilateral cooperation in health sciences, nutrition, and traditional medicine.
Coordinator General OIC-COMSTECH Prof. Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary said the concept of Food-Medicine Homology reflects the role of food not only as nutrition but also as a means of disease prevention and health promotion. He noted that Pakistan-China cooperation in traditional medicine, natural product research and biomedical sciences is a strong example of scientific diplomacy. He said China’s vast expertise in Traditional Chinese Medicine, combined with Pakistan’s rich biodiversity and medicinal plant resources, offers enormous opportunities for innovation. He reaffirmed COMSTECH’s commitment to promoting evidence-based traditional medicine, joint research centres, technology transfer, and cross-border pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries.
Prof. Dr. Liu Xinmin, Member WHO Expert Advisory Panel on Traditional Medicine and Chief Scientist at Ningbo University, described the conference as a celebration of the deep-rooted scientific brotherhood between Pakistan and China. He highlighted more than two decades of cooperation with Pakistani institutions in herbal medicines, food nutrition, space medicine and drug discovery. He cited establishment of Sino-Pakistan centres on Traditional Chinese Medicine, joint laboratories on herbal medicine R&D, training of Pakistani doctors in China, and successful regulatory approvals of Chinese healthcare products in Pakistan. He praised Prof. Dr. Iqbal Choudhary for playing a pivotal role in strengthening scientific ties between China, Pakistan and theu Muslim world.
The conference later continued with technical sessions featuring presentations by leading researchers from Pakistan and China on medicinal plants, clinical trials, food safety regulations, pharmaceutical collaboration and nutrition-based healthcare solutions.
The inaugural session began with the national anthems of Pakistan and China, followed by recitation from the Holy Qur’an and introduction of the bi-national event by Prof. Dr. Atia-ul-Wahab of the Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, University of Karachi. Among the key speakers were Coordinator General OIC-COMSTECH Prof. Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary, Chinese scientist Prof. Dr. Liu Xinmin, CEO Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) Dr. Obaidullah, and Federal Minister for Health Syed Mustafa Kamal. Remarks on behalf of Sindh Health Minister Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho were delivered by Dr. Dabeer Ahmed Khan while Head of Islamabad campus of SZABIST Prof. Dr. Khusroo Pervaiz Khan also spoke in the conference.
