We will benefit from the collaboration of Traditional Medicine：Dr. Iqbal

By Duan Changying

“Traditional Chinese Medicine（TCM） has been drawing global attention and investments for research and development. Traditional medicine is now considered the most advanced form of alternative medicine in the world. ” said Dr. Iqbal Ch., Director of the international center for chemical and biological sciences (ICCBS) Karachi University told China Economic Net (CEN) in an exclusive interview.

Dr. Iqbal has been working with Chinese Medical experts for the last 30 years. His center has a long history of collaboration with Chinese universities and institutes in the fields of not only traditional Chinese medicine, but also chemistry products, biomedical science, pharmaceutical science, etc.

“I’ve been very fortunate to work with top Chinese scientists in the field of natural products and herbal medicine. My experience with them has been extremely fruitful because they are willing and ready to cooperate. They are ready to help with developing the capacity of Pakistani scientists.” He addressed his respect to CEN.

China has over 4,000 years of history of TCM, Dr.Iqbal thinks that it has an extremely sophisticated system of medicine and similarly, TCM is very close to traditional medicines in Pakistan. These similarities brought two traditional medicine systems together.

“The Pakistani people may benefit from traditional Chinese medicine. To do this, we must send Pakistani physicians to China to receive Chinese medical training. We must import Chinese medicine into Pakistan, register them and get them manufactured in Pakistan.” he added.

He further said that although Pakistan has the fifth-largest population in the world, there is no reliable enterprise or organization that works in the field of vaccine development, which in his opinion makes it a crucial component.

“We have been largely dependent on international health organizations. Pakistan’s capacity for vaccine R&D and industrial production can be increased with the introduction of Chinese vaccines.” He said.

In his mind, China has many advantages. China not only has a strong industrial base, but also has a well-developed pharmaceutical base and a comprehensive knowledge base. He believes that there are various opportunities for two countries to work together. Through this collaboration, Pakistan can benefit from Chinese research on prevalent diseases, viral diseases, metabolic disorders and the understanding of the mechanism of the diseases.