Pakistan is developing a three-phase plan to build a luxury medical tourism facility in Islamabad, aimed at capturing a share of the $144bn global medical tourism industry, Arab News reported on August 13.
The initiative is being led by the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), a high-level government body set up to attract investment, working alongside the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and MSK Group, a cosmetic surgery company headed by Dr Muhammad Salman Khan. A meeting at the SIFC Secretariat on August 5 discussed Khan’s proposal to build the project in stages, beginning with premium “MSK Med Suites” before progressing to a dedicated Medical Tourism Center and, eventually, an Islamabad Medical City.
According to Khan, Pakistan currently holds only around 0.5% of the global medical tourism market, despite lower treatment costs, the availability of qualified specialists and a large overseas Pakistani diaspora that could form an initial client base. He said cosmetic surgery and dentistry together account for around 35% of global medical tourism patient flows, and that it was “high time to target new areas of revenue generation,” Arab News reported.
The project is envisaged as a two-year initiative. The first phase would use existing infrastructure to begin operations quickly, while the second, targeted for completion within six months, depends on the CDA allocating a suitable building. The third phase would see a 25,000-square-foot luxury medical tourism centre combining specialised clinics and medical suites with five-star-style accommodation, transfers and sightseeing packages for patients and their families.
Around half of the centre’s clients are expected to come from overseas, particularly Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States, with a tiered pricing model of three- to five-star packages designed to undercut regional competitors. Some procedures are projected to cost around one-tenth of comparable treatment in Thailand and one-fifth of the cost in India.
The SIFC has instructed the CDA to convene a meeting with Khan and other stakeholders, while MSK Group has been asked to submit a full investment and feasibility model for the proposed site at Islamabad’s planned Jinnah Medical Complex.