2 weeks ago

India's MedTech test: Can healthcare self-reliance move beyond medicines?

India's MedTech test: Can healthcare self-reliance move beyond medicines?
Has India’s healthcare self-reliance moved beyond medicines and vaccines? The MedTech test · firstpost.com

India is very good at making medicines and vaccines for the whole world.

But the machines that hospitals use, like scanners and monitors, are mostly brought from other countries.

In fact, about six out of ten medical devices used in India come from outside the country.

A few years ago, India bought far more devices than it sold to other countries.

Now India wants to learn how to make these machines at home too.

The government is helping with special programs that support companies building things like MRI machines and X-ray equipment.

Some Indian companies have already started making these big machines.

Experts think this is a good first step, but there is still a lot of work to do.

They also say India should keep working with the rest of the world instead of building everything alone.

If India succeeds, it could one day sell the world the machines that help doctors keep people healthy.

Key facts

Import share of medical devices
Around 60% of India's domestic medical-device consumption
Medical-device imports (2024-25)
Rs 1.37 lakh crore
Medical-device exports (2024-25)
Rs 42,360 crore
Medical-device export growth
$2.9 billion (FY2021-22) to $4.1 billion (FY2024-25)
High-end products under PLI scheme
MRI, CT machines, mammography systems, linear accelerators, ultrasound equipment, C-arm X-ray machines
Government initiatives
PLI scheme, Medical Device Parks, Scheme for Strengthening of Medical Device Industry
National backdrop
India's ambition to become a developed nation by 2047 with push in semiconductors and AI

Quotes

Dr Sudhir Srivastava

Founder, Chairman and CEO of SS Innovations International

“Policy support through initiatives such as the PLI scheme, Medical Device Parks and research‑led programmes can create the foundation, but the real opportunity is to translate this into businesses that can achieve scale, generate sustainable returns and compete in global markets.”
firstpost.com
“The objective should not be to shut India off from global technology. It should be to build enough domestic capability to innovate, manufacture and improve critical technologies while remaining globally connected.”
firstpost.com

Sources

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