Iran’s Ministry of Health conducted separate virtual committee meetings with health officials from Kazakhstan and Belarus on Monday to explore avenues for expanding bilateral cooperation in the medical sector. The discussions focused on enhancing collaboration in several areas, including medical education, research and technology, pharmaceuticals and vaccines, medical equipment, health services, pre-hospital emergency care, health tourism, cancer treatment, and organ transplantation.

During these online sessions, both sides agreed on the importance of establishing specialized sub-committees to deepen engagement and maintain regular dialogue through diplomatic channels. The meetings are intended to take place twice a year, with the next round scheduled for November, during which joint operational plans will be further developed.

The recent talks build on ongoing efforts to strengthen Iran’s health sector ties with Belarus. In June, Mehdi Pirsalehi, head of Iran’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA), met with Dmitry Koltsov, Belarus’s ambassador to Iran, in Tehran. They discussed strategies to improve cooperation in the supply of medicines and medical equipment, as well as to accelerate trade exchanges in these fields. Koltsov expressed Belarus’s readiness to facilitate the import of Iranian medicines and pharmaceutical raw materials and emphasized the need to use secure banking mechanisms and formal trade channels to ensure the continuity of pharmaceutical supplies for Belarusian citizens.

Pirsalehi highlighted Iran’s capacity to manufacture high-quality medicines and medical devices and called for the removal of barriers hindering the export of these products. Both sides agreed to continue technical consultations aimed at establishing a framework for integrating Iranian medical products into the Belarusian market.

This series of initiatives aligns with Iran’s broader goal of attaining self-sufficiency in medicine and medical equipment production, a priority emphasized by Health Minister Mohammad-Reza Zafarqandi. He underscored the critical role that these sectors play in public health and reiterated the government’s commitment to achieving domestic supply independence.

Abdolreza Yaqoubzadeh, head of Iran’s Union of Medical Equipment Manufacturers and Exporters, provided additional context on the country’s production capabilities and export reach. He stated that Iran annually exports approximately $20 million worth of medical equipment to more than 60 countries. Domestically, over 70 percent of medical equipment and all standard hospital beds are manufactured locally. The production rate is even higher for specialized items: over 95 percent of ICU and CCU beds and more than 85 percent of operating room devices such as anesthesia machines are produced using advanced technology within Iran.

Yaqoubzadeh noted that the national demand for medical equipment stands at $3 to $4 billion annually, of which about $1 billion is currently met through imports. Approximately 600 medical equipment companies operate across the country, collectively producing nearly 99 percent of the medicines supplied domestically. The industry manufactures and supplies over 10,000 types of medical devices both domestically and internationally, offering many products at significantly lower prices than comparable foreign alternatives.

These developments underscore Iran’s sustained efforts to bolster its healthcare industry through increased regional cooperation and strengthened domestic manufacturing capacity.