Government to work on medical devices legislation

The 5th India Health Summit, Optimising Healthcare Delivery in India: A patient Centric Approach, was held recently in New Delhi, jointly organised by CII, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India and Indian Healthcare Federation.
Kapil Sibal, Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Government of India, said, “Most of our healthcare systems look at treating a disease, when one is inflicted with it, rather than following preventive measures. We can follow a preventive healthcare approach by providing clean drinking water, sanitation, hygienic housing and pollution free environment”.  Most of the medical equipment in India are imported and medical devices industry in India has not grown much. The Government of India is working on medical devices legislation, in order to standardise the quality of Indian manufactured medical devices, he added. Among the other four key areas underlined by Sibal are greater R&D in the field of technology and genomics focussed on target drugging, vaccinations and innovative solutions, manufacturing and managing medical devices domestically, delivery of quality human resource and affordability.
Dr. Prathap C Reddy, Chairman, CII National Committee on Healthcare & Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group, said, “The task before us is how we rapidly fill the huge deficit for quality healthcare. We should look at innovative healthcare models, work on standard definition and working environment for PPP. Availability of skilled in healthcare sector is not up to the mark; government should look at healthcare’s requirements to quickly multiply the number of healthcare professionals in India.”