Minister urges COMSTECH to promote traditional medicine for preventive healthcare

ISLAMABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Apr, 2026) Federal Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Syed Mustafa Kamal Monday urged COMSTECH to actively promote traditional medicine to improve public health, emphasizing a shift from treatment to prevention.

He was speaking as chief guest at the Pakistan–China International Conference on Food-Medicine Homology, Nutrition, and Health held at the Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology.

The minister termed the conference a timely initiative and said Pakistan’s healthcare system must focus on keeping people healthy rather than relying solely on treatment after illness. He expressed confidence that Pakistan could emerge as a leading country in promoting herbal and traditional medicine, noting that despite strong indigenous knowledge, the sector has lagged due to lack of patronage, structured support and effective marketing.

Addressing the participants, Coordinator General COMSTECH, Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary said the concept of food-medicine homology highlights the role of food not only as nutrition but also as a tool for disease prevention and health promotion. He noted that Pakistan-China cooperation in traditional medicine, natural product research and biomedical sciences reflects strong scientific diplomacy.

He said China’s expertise in Traditional Chinese Medicine, coupled with Pakistan’s rich biodiversity and medicinal plant resources, presents vast 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.

In his remarks, Liu Xinmin, Member of the WHO Expert Advisory Panel on Traditional Medicine and Chief Scientist at Ningbo University, described the conference as a reflection of longstanding scientific collaboration between Pakistan and China.

He highlighted over two decades of cooperation in herbal medicine, nutrition, space medicine and drug discovery, including the establishment of joint research centres and training of Pakistani professionals.

The conference featured technical sessions where experts from both countries presented research on medicinal plants, clinical trials, food safety regulations, pharmaceutical collaboration and nutrition-based healthcare solutions.

Among other speakers were CEO Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan Dr. Obaidullah, while remarks on behalf of Sindh Health Minister Azra Fazal Pechuho were delivered by Dr. Dabeer Ahmed Khan.