MedTech Mitra: Health minister launches online portal for medtech startups

Noting India's medtech sector is import-dependent, with imports accounting for up to 80% in some cases, Mandaviya said the govt had taken steps to ensure medical devices were supplied within India

Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday launched MedTech Mitra, an online portal that aims to assist medtech innovators in clinical evaluation, regulatory facilitation, and uptake of new products.

The portal will be coordinated collaboratively by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), under the guidance of NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission.

Addressing the conference, Mandaviya said that the medical devices sector is an essential and integral constituent of India’s healthcare sector. “Pursuing the vision of Viksit Bharat, India is taking a holistic approach to health with a vision to transform the health landscape in the country by 2047,” he added.

Describing the medtech sector as one with high growth potential, Mandaviya said that this collaborative initiative would facilitate indigenous development of affordable, quality medtech devices and diagnostics, leading to a considerable reduction in the import dependence of this sector. “I am confident that India’s medtech sector will grow to become a $50 billion industry by 2030,” he added.

Noting India’s medtech sector to be import-dependent, with imports accounting for up to 80 per cent in some cases, the minister said that the government has taken steps to ensure medical devices are supplied within the country.

“This sector has seen phenomenal progress with the implementation of production-linked incentive schemes, investments in medical drug parks, medtech research policy, and medtech research incentive scheme,” the minister added.

The launch of a separate portal for medtech startups comes months after the government launched the National Medical Device Policy and a scheme worth Rs 5,000 crore for the promotion of research in pharma and medtech sectors.

According to industry figures, India accounts for only 1.5 per cent of the global medical devices market. India is currently Asia’s fourth-largest medical equipment manufacturer, while having an 8 per cent share in the global medtech research and development workforce.