Islamabad set to become medical tourism hub

The Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) is accelerating plans to establish Pakistan’s first luxury medical

The Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) is accelerating plans to establish Pakistan’s first luxury medical tourism model centre in Islamabad, with the aim of capturing a greater share of the rapidly growing global medical tourism market.

Pakistan is seeking to benefit from the global medical tourism industry, estimated to be worth around $144 billion, while the country currently accounts for only about 0.5% of the market.

The initiative gained momentum after plastic and cosmetic surgeon Dr Muhammad Salman Khan approached the SIFC Secretariat seeking up to 25,000 square feet of land or a built-up facility for a five-star luxury medical centre with room for future expansion.

In his proposal, Dr Khan said cosmetic surgery and dentistry together account for around 35% of global medical tourism activity. He argued that Pakistani specialists can provide international-standard services at significantly lower costs than those charged in countries such as Turkey, the United States and the United Kingdom.

The SIFC subsequently convened a high-level meeting at its secretariat on August 5. Representatives from the Capital Development Authority (CDA), Jinnah Medical Complex and medical professionals participated in the meeting.

According to the meeting minutes, Dr Salman presented a phased plan for the project. The initiative would initially introduce premium “Med Suites” in Islamabad, followed by a dedicated medical tourism centre and eventually the development of a comprehensive Islamabad Medical City.

Participants identified several advantages that could help Pakistan compete in the international medical tourism sector. These include significantly lower treatment costs, a large pool of qualified medical specialists and a sizeable overseas Pakistani community that could form an initial customer base for the proposed services.

The meeting also highlighted the distinction between aesthetic tourism and broader medical tourism. Officials agreed that establishing a dedicated luxury aesthetic tourism centre in the federal capital could help create the foundation for a new high-value industry.

The proposed facility could attract thousands of international patients to Pakistan and generate valuable foreign exchange for the country.

Islamabad was considered a suitable location because of its relatively secure environment, scenic surroundings and high-quality residential infrastructure. The proposed model would combine specialised medical services with a five-star hospitality experience for patients and their accompanying family members.

The meeting concluded with several directives to move the proposal forward.

The CDA was asked to arrange a follow-up meeting within a week involving Dr Salman Khan, the CDA chairman and other relevant stakeholders to examine the proposal in detail.

Medical experts were also directed to prepare a comprehensive investment, commercial and financial feasibility study for the proposed project at the Jinnah Medical Complex.

Separately, the SIFC was asked to arrange meetings between leading medical specialists and representatives of major five-star hotels in Islamabad. The discussions will assess commercial interest and examine the practical feasibility of developing dedicated medical tourism facilities.

The project has now entered an initial implementation phase, with several government institutions involved in evaluating the proposal.