Indian medical devices available at a third of price quoted by peers: Minister

New Delhi: Union minister Jitendra Singh on Tuesday said that the India is among the top five countries in the world manufacturing life-saving high risk medical devices with the cost of the devices being about one-third of those manufactured by the other countries.

Addressing the faculty and students after inaugurating Combined Devices Block at Chitra Triunal Institute of Medical Science and Technology, 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 US, Japan, Brazil and China.

Singh said, the world class medical devices made indigenously are available to Indian patients at approximately one fourth to 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.

The minister pointed out that it was PM Modi, who notified Medical Devices Rules in 2017 in conformity with Global Harmonisation Task Force (GHTF) framework and conform to best international practices. The new rules seek to remove regulatory bottlenecks to make in India, facilitate ease of doing business while ensuring availability of better medical devices for patient care and safety.

Singh said, the Combined Devices Block at Chitra Institute is a perfect example of convergence of pharmaceuticals and medical devices, and this must be institutionalised. He said, the Institute is also a model of Medicines and Bio-Medicines, which is now being emulated by IITs and other prominent medical institutes.

The minister said Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences & Technology, Thiruvananthapuram, is a prominent institution under Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. This is the only Institute which brings biomedical research and development, high quality clinical care, public health studies and interventions as well as human resource development under a single institutional framework.

He said that this Institute has been focusing on the development of medical device technologies which are at par with any product available internationally, with respect to their quality and functional efficacy, at the same time ensuring that these products are made available to the Indian patients at an affordable cost.

He said, various products like heart valve, oxygenators, blood bag, hydrocephalus shunt, orthopaedic and dental materials etc. have ensured that these are available to Indian patients at cost effective and affordable prices.

The minister also lauded the Institute for its pivotal role of bridging its research with the societal needs, especially looking at the needs of the under-privileged.