National Medical Devices Promotion Council to fuel growth of domestic industry: CII

National Medical Devices Promotion Council, set up under the Department of Industrial Promotion and Policy, will help promote growth of the sector and pave way for affordable access to good quality pharma instruments to people, CII said Friday.

The industry chamber said that it was a long-standing need of the medical devices industry in India.

"Time has come for the medical technology sector to have an exclusive promotion council that will safeguard the interests of the patients, industry and all stakeholders," said Himanshu Baid, Chairman of the CII Medical Technology Division (CII MTD) in a statement.

He said that this council will provide anchorage and an environment for conducive growth for this sector.

"We are looking forward to seeing strong Indian presence in the global medtech map in the next few years," he added.

CII MTD is an industry association comprising of over 50 major domestic and global medical device companies.

The council is aimed at boosting manufacturing, attract investments and promote exports of the fast-growing sector.

The industry plays a critical role in the healthcare ecosystem and is indispensable to achieve the goal of health for all citizens.

Although the industry has been growing in double digits, it is predominantly import-driven, with imports accounting for over 65 per cent of the domestic market.

The council will undertake several activities including holding seminars and workshops to garner views of industry and understand best global practices.

It would also identify redundant processes and render technical assistance to the agencies and departments concerned to simplify the approval processes involved in the sector.

The council will be headed by the Secretary of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion.

Besides the concerned departments, it will also have representatives from healthcare industry and quality control institutions.