Pakistan's medical equipment market in 2026 sits at an interesting inflection. Hospital expansion across [Karachi](/pakistan/karachi), [Lahore](/pakistan/lahore), [Islamabad](/pakistan/islamabad), and tier-2 cities continues. Currency volatility against the US dollar shapes every import-cost decision. The gap between top private hospitals and public-sector facilities is widening clinically and procurement-wise.
This is what we're seeing across the market and what it means for hospital procurement teams.
The macro picture
Pakistan's overall healthcare expenditure has grown roughly 8–11% annually over the last five years in nominal terms. In USD-equivalent terms, growth has been modest because of currency depreciation. For procurement teams working in PKR budgets and importing equipment priced in USD, this creates ongoing tension.
Practical implication: equipment that was budgeted at PKR 50M in 2024 may quote at PKR 65M in 2026 for the same USD price. Hospitals are responding by:
- Stretching equipment-replacement cycles from 8 years to 10–12.
- Shifting more aggressively to refurbished equipment (the price compression matters more than the brand-image difference).
- Bundling service into equipment quotes to lock multi-year pricing.
Top private hospital tier — capability expansion
Private-tertiary hospitals — [Aga Khan University Hospital](/pakistan/karachi), Shaukat Khanum, Shifa International, Indus Hospital, Liaquat National, Doctors Hospital, Hameed Latif — continue clinical capability expansion. Investment areas in 2026:
- 4K and AIM-class minimally invasive surgical platforms ([Stryker 1688](/brands/stryker), [Karl Storz IMAGE1 S Rubina](/brands/karl-storz))
- Cardiac and structural-heart programs (cath labs, hybrid ORs, advanced echocardiography)
- Oncology imaging (PET-CT, advanced MRI, linear accelerators in select centres)
- Robotics and integrated OR projects in early adoption
Most procurement at this tier is OEM-direct or through Pakistan-licensed authorised distributors, with refurbished equipment selectively used for non-flagship capacity.
Mid-tier private hospitals — refurbished equipment dominant
Mid-tier private hospitals across all 25 cities we serve in [Pakistan](/pakistan) procure refurbished equipment as the default rather than the exception. The economics are decisive: a refurbished tier-1 endoscopy tower delivered + commissioned + warranted is reachable; a new equivalent often isn't, even with financing.
Categories with strongest refurbished demand at mid-tier:
- General [endoscopy and laparoscopy](/products/endoscopy-laparoscopy) towers (Stryker 1288/1488, Olympus EVIS EXERA III, Karl Storz Image1 Hub/Spies)
- [Patient monitoring](/products/patient-monitoring) fleets (Mindray BeneVision, GE CARESCAPE)
- [Anaesthesia workstations](/products/anesthesia-respiratory) (GE Aestiva, Drager Fabius)
- [Imaging](/products/medical-imaging) — ultrasound (GE LOGIQ, Mindray DC-90), C-arms (GE OEC 9900)
- [Hospital furniture](/products/hospital-furniture) — beds, stretchers, OR tables
Public-sector and tertiary teaching hospitals
Public-sector procurement runs through tender processes, which favour vendors with strong documentation, [DRAP-aware import workflows](/resources/blog/drap-medical-device-registration-walkthrough), and proven service capacity. Refurbished equipment is increasingly accepted in public tenders where the documentation is rigorous — this is an evolution from earlier years when public procurement defaulted to new.
The bottleneck for public-sector facilities is rarely equipment. It's biomedical-engineering capacity, service contract continuity, and consumables supply. Hospitals that procure equipment without securing these tend to operate at lower equipment uptime than the equipment specs would predict.
Cross-border export from Pakistan
Pakistan-based medical equipment dealers (us, and peers) increasingly serve as supply hubs for the GCC, South Asia, and East Africa. For Pakistani manufacturers and refurbishers, this is a growing market — and a quality bar. [Kenya](/export/kenya), [Nigeria](/export/nigeria), [Bangladesh](/export/bangladesh), [UAE](/export/uae), [Saudi Arabia](/export/saudi-arabia) take Pakistan-supplied equipment that passes the documentation and quality bar.
This export trade benefits the domestic market too. Equipment-handling capacity, documentation rigor, and refurbishment quality have to be export-grade — and that quality bar feeds back into what's supplied locally.
What 2026 procurement teams should focus on
- Total-cost-of-ownership modelling, not headline price. Currency volatility makes 5-year USD cost projections worth the effort. We've covered this in detail for [refurbished vs. new](/resources/blog/refurbished-vs-new-five-year-financial-model) and [CT scanner TCO](/resources/blog/ct-scanner-total-cost-of-ownership).
- Service-contract negotiation alongside equipment purchase. Bundling locks pricing better than retroactive contracting and aligns service start with installation.
- Documentation rigor. [DRAP](/resources/blog/drap-medical-device-registration-walkthrough)-aware imports, refurbishment certificates, calibration records, electrical-safety test results. Documentation is the difference between equipment that runs uptime and equipment that gets stuck in customs or audit issues.
- Biomedical capacity as a procurement input. Match equipment complexity to your biomedical team's capability, or build the capability alongside the equipment. We covered this in [the biomedical engineering capacity-building guide](/resources/blog/biomedical-engineering-capacity-building).
- Phased procurement plans. Multi-OR build-outs and department upgrades go better as 12–18 month phased plans than as single-shot all-or-nothing tenders.
ASQ Consultancy works with Pakistan-based procurement teams across all five of these dimensions. [Send an inquiry](/contact) with your facility profile, equipment plans, and timeline; we'll respond with a tailored procurement plan within 24 hours.