Aiims to install first indigenously developed MRI machine by October

The project will be run under a partnership with the Society for Applied Microwave Electronic Engineering and Research (SAMEER)

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi on Tuesday announced that it was set to install the country’s first indigenously-developed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine by October this year. 

 

It will be run under a partnership with the Society for Applied Microwave Electronic Engineering and Research (SAMEER), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

 

PH Rao, director general, SAMEER said that the organisation was waiting for permission for clinical and human trials as the country currently does not have a mechanism where the machine can be validated for the standards within the country.

 

A senior official from AIIMS New Delhi said that the 1.5 tesla MRI machine is expected to be installed in another seven months, or by October this year.  

 

This comes even as the Centre is pushing for indigenous innovations to reduce import dependency in medical devices.

 

Currently, around 80 to 85 per cent of India’s medical device requirements are met through imports.

 

In the financial year 2023-24 (FY24), the nation’s medical device import bill had reached ₹68,885 crore, a 13 per cent increase from ₹61,179 crore in FY23.

 

“The partnership aims to reduce treatment costs and reliance on imported medical devices,” an AIIMS official said. 

 

While the Meity’s research body will conduct trials in the coming months, several companies such as Chennai-headquartered Fischer Medical Ventures and Bengaluru-based Voxelgrids Innovations have claimed to have developed made-in-India MRI machines previously.

 

Both companies could not be contacted for a comment.