Healthcare systems in the Middle East, Central Asia, Türkiye, Pakistan & Afghanistan are facing major challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted global health supply chain weaknesses and the region's lack of local manufacturing capabilities. Addressing many of the issues encountered - including medicine and equipment shortages, a dearth of infrastructure and resources, storage and manufacturing capabilities, untrained personnel, and weak procurement practices - provides an unprecedented opportunity to modernise existing health systems and strengthen the region’s ability to prevent, prepare and respond to future health emergencies including new pandemics and health-related vulnerabilities linked to climate change and natural disasters.

Increasing local manufacturing capabilities can be an effective way of addressing supply chain challenges but will require coherent policies that support high-quality and sustainable local production. The private sector also has an important role to play. In Pakistan, for example, the private health sector is estimated to serve 70% of the population. An effective health emergency response to supply chain and other challenges can only be achieved if both public and private capacities can be deployed in a coordinated and efficient manner. The digital transformation of healthcare can also play a role in achieving health resilience – enabling efficiencies in manufacturing, as well as continuity of supply and routine services during an emergency.

This webinar discussion, hosted by the Financial Times and IFC, will explore the challenges, opportunities for localising health supplies and production in Middle East, Central Asia, Türkiye, Pakistan & Afghanistan (MCT) and identify concrete areas for action to increase resilience across the healthcare systems of the MCT region.

Understand

The big picture, not just the individual strands of the business you work in

Connect

And build relationships with some of the biggest names in your industry

Discover

New approaches and strategies to help win market share

Premier Digital Events Supported by the World's Best Journalism

Using leading digital technology, we have now taken our content, global audience reach and engagement to a new level through a series of unmissable virtual events. Our compelling events are chaired by respected FT journalists, feature the most senior and thought-provoking decision-makers in business, finance and politics, all accessible from your office or home.

© Financial Times Live

FT Live and its journalism are subject to a self-regulation regime under the FT Editorial Code of Practice