India producing medical devices at 1/3rd world price

Union Minister for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh on Tuesday said India is among the top five countries in the world manufacturing life-saving high-risk medical devices but the cost of our devices is about one-third of those manufactured by the other four countries.Addressing the faculty and students after inaugurating the Combined Devices Block at Chitra Tribunal Institute of Medical Science and Technology here, Singh said, “technologies developed by the Institute like the artificial heart valve, hydrocephalus shunt, oxygenator and drug eluting Intra uterine device are being manufactured in three to four countries like USA, Japan, Brazil and China,” said a press release by Ministry of Science & Technology.Singh said the world-class medical devices made indigenously are available to Indian patients at approximately one-fourth to the one-third price of their imported counterparts. He underlined that this reflects the Atmanirbhar vision of PM Modi to become self-reliant in medical devices as well as medical management, added the press release.Singh pointed out that it was Prime Minister Modi, who notified Medical Devices Rules in 2017 in conformity with the Global Harmonisation Task Force (GHTF) framework and conform to best international practices.The new rules seek to remove regulatory bottlenecks to make in India and facilitate ease of doing business while ensuring the availability of better medical devices for patient care and safety.