Emerging healthcare systems face complex challenges in delivering reliable, equitable access to medicines while building long-term sustainability. In this interview with MedEdge MEA, Dr Mayada Alkhakany, the Founder and CEO of Seven D Consultancy FZ-LLC shares insights on translating global best practices into practical, locally executable strategies, the role of therapy localization in strengthening system resilience in Iraq, and the leadership qualities essential for advancing access and innovation. The conversation highlights how patient need, evidence, and collaboration can align stakeholders to create sustainable healthcare impact.

MedEdge MEA: How have your global learnings shaped your perspective on improving access to medicines in emerging healthcare systems?

Mayada Alkhakany: Working in regional and global roles with international pharmaceutical companies taught me that access isn’t a “launch task”, it’s a system you design. In emerging healthcare environments, the winning approach is to align three things early: what the country prioritizes, what the health system can realistically deliver, and what industry needs to sustain investment.

That experience shaped how I operate in MENA and Iraq: I translate global best practices into locally executable access pathways, built around affordability, reliable supply, and stakeholder trust. For companies entering the region, the real differentiator is market shaping, building the right policy, procurement, and delivery conditions so access becomes scalable, compliant, and durable.

ME: You are currently leading the localization of critical therapies in Iraq. How do you see localization contributing to long-term healthcare sustainability and system resilience?

Mayada: In Iraq, localization is one of the most practical tools to strengthen sustainability and resilience at the same time. It reduces exposure to import volatility and supply disruptions, which in our region, is not an occasional risk; it’s a constant scenario we plan for.

From a budget perspective, localization can ease pressure on public spending by lowering the overall cost of continuity and reducing avoidable external dependencies. That creates room for the system to do two important things: expand patient access and adopt more innovation.

The goal isn’t a short-term win; it’s an access model the system can sustain and improve year after year.

When localization is done properly, quality-first, governed well, and focused on capability transfer, it doesn’t just produce medicine, it upgrades regulatory maturity, workforce skills, quality systems, and supply reliability. Over time, that makes the healthcare system less reactive and more resilient

ME: What, in your view, makes a collaboration effective in strengthening local healthcare capabilities?

Mayada: Effective collaboration has three signatures: shared outcomes, clear governance, and disciplined execution. In complex markets, partnerships fail when they are built on good intentions but lack a delivery engine.

The collaborations that work define success early (access targets, quality standards, supply reliability, capability development), assign accountable owners, and track progress transparently. They also respect what each partner brings: global standards and expertise on one side, and local intelligence and execution reality on the other.

Most importantly, the partnership should leave the system stronger, not dependent. If the collaboration builds skills, strengthens processes, and creates sustainable models that continue delivering after the project ends, it becomes a true capability multiplier

ME: Market access often sits at the intersection of policy, industry, and patient needs. How do you approach aligning these elements in a practical and responsible way?

Mayada: I start with one principle: patient need is the only credible north star, and evidence is what aligns stakeholders around it. When you map unmet need properly, disease burden, the patient journey, barriers to diagnosis and continuity, you create a shared language for policymakers and industry.

From there, I translate patient needs into policy logic: coverage priorities, procurement pathways, affordability frameworks, and governance that protects sustainability. Then I translate that into industry execution: access models, supply planning, localization options, and stakeholder engagement that can actually be implemented.

When this is done responsibly, policy safeguards the budget, industry has a predictable route to scale, and patients gain reliable access, not just availability on paper.

ME: What leadership qualities do you believe are most important for advancing healthcare access and innovation?

Mayada: Access and innovation move forward when leaders combine systems thinking with decisive execution, and build trust where decisions happen. You need the ability to see the full picture, policy, financing, supply, quality, and stakeholder dynamics, and still make clear calls under constraints.

Equally important is credibility: building strong channels with decision makers through transparency, consistency, and an outcome-first mindset. In our region, trust is not a soft skill, it’s infrastructure.

Finally, a long-term orientation matters: the goal isn’t a short-term win, it’s an access model the system can sustain and improve year after year.

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