Experts urge govt. to regulate medical implants

Given the 'faulty hip implants' of metal on the metal prosthesis, medical experts urged the government to establish a National Joint Replacement Registry to regulate medical implants and drugs for patients' safety.

Raju Vaishya, a joint replacement surgeon, said that it is ironical that although about 4,700 patients received the 'faulty hip implants' in India, over 3,600 of them remain untraceable.

"Incidentally, there is no government body like National Joint Replacement Registry in our country, though the formation of such a body was suggested, many years ago. But, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) did not take any timely action on this matter, despite knowing the problems related to these implants since at least 2010. It is, therefore, a regulatory failure," said Vaishya.

In Metal on Metal hip implants, the metal ball and the metal cup slide against each other during walking or running. Metal can also be released from other parts of the implant where two implant components connect. Metal release, thus, causes some tiny metal particles to wear off of the device into the space around the implant which may enter the bloodstream.

Atul Srivastava, Secretary, Indian Orthopaedic Association (IOA) also agreed to the idea of setting such a national body, which may be called National Joint Replacement Registry or National Healthcare Data Storage and Management Committee to stop the use of faulty implants or medical devices.

According to researchers, more catastrophic failures of medical implants and devices are "almost guaranteed" to happen because there have been no significant reforms on the way in India, which regulates medical implants.