India should take the lead in manufacturing of affordable medical devices, the Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare and Chemicals & Fertilizers, Mansukh Mandaviya, said on Thursday.
Speaking at the India MedTech Expo 2023 in Gujarat, the Minister said, the country is already recognised as the ‘Pharmacy of the World’ and it “has to become the leader in the manufacturing of affordable, innovative and quality medical devices”.
“Our goal is to become self-reliant in the medical device sector and reduce our import dependency, which is perfectly aligned with our vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India, Make for the World,” he said.
The Export-Promotion Council for Medical Devices and a scheme for Assistance of Medical Device Cluster are two important steps that have already been taken to promote infrastructure development and strengthen testing facilities for medical devices here.
According to Dr VK Paul, Member, NITI Aayog, the Indian MedTech sector is now at an inflection point and needs “to move in the direction of exponential growth in terms of quantity, quality and global reach”.
The pharmaceutical industry in Gujarat has a 33 per cent share in drug manufacturing and 28 per cent share of drug exports.