industrial policy, its spatial aspects and cluster development in ...

limited designing and innovation capacity, extremely limited branding in international
markets and lack of proper testing and certification infrastructure.
In order to improve the growth performance of the surgical sector the government
should:
• Establish a Surgical training school in Sialkot. This will train workers not only in
the basic skills but will create an educated workforce which understands the
nature of the product. This is imperative given the fact that as quality standards
and compliance regimes get tougher worldwide the workforce will have to
understand the requirements of these standards.
• Upgrade / Establish laboratory in Sialkot to provide surgical instrument specific
testing and conformity assessment certifications. Under new WHO regulations
the industry will soon have to make a change in their polishing and cleaning
techniques. The industry will have to shift from chemical to water based cleaning
and polishing systems. This shift will increase costs and also change the testing
and certification requirements. A laboratory is required that can test for
sterilisation, chemical presence, etc. The government working with the sector will
either upgrade the Surgical Association Laboratory or will extend more support
to the laboratory being established by the Punjab Government.
• Facilitate via foreign offices for local companies to acquire international brands.
• Support development of steel industry which is the primary input into surgical
industry.
• Establish an excellence centre for instrument design and innovation in medical
device industry.
• The government should assist surgical manufacturers in purchasing undervalued
international brands in this sector.
• Launch a sector competitiveness project executed by NPO.
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