Government has formulated a scheme namely ‘Promotion of Research and Innovation in Pharma MedTech Sector’

Aug 18, 2023

Industry, academia and policy makers need to work together to create a future-ready workforce 

Policymakers and Industry Experts advocate closer collaboration and partnerships between Industry and Academia in MedTech Sector 

Visit of G-20 delegates at India Medtech Expo, 2023

GANDHINAGAR, 18 August 2023: Mr Manoj Aggarwal, Additional Chief Secretary, Health & Family Welfare Department, Government of Gujarat chaired the day-II of ‘India MedTech Expo 2023’ session ‘Future Trends in R&D for MedTech Sector through Industry –Academia collaboration’. Session highlighted the success stories as well as opportunities for future industry- academia linkage in medtech sector. Mr G.S. Naveen Kumar, Relief Commissioner, Government of Uttar Pradesh said that there is a need for continuous effort in medtech innovations. Dr Suchita Markan, ICMR spoke about health technology assessment, technology transfer and capacity building in the MedTech sector. Dr Sarah McMullen, Country Director, US-FDA highlighted need for consensus in the global standards in the field of medical devices. Other distinguished speakers of the session shared their valuable ideas on Industry-Academia collaborations.

The session ‘Future Trends in Skill development in MedTech Sector’ was chaired by Ms. Sonal Mishra, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship. She highlighted various initiatives taken by the Government for bridging the skill gap in the MedTech sector. Prof. Shailendra Saraf, Director-NIPER, Ahmedabad informed that the Government has notified a scheme for ‘Promotion of Research and Innovation in Pharma MedTech Sector’ with a tentative cost of Rs 700 crore over a period of five years. The scheme would help National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPERs) in becoming world class research institutes by establishing Centres of Excellence and creating a talent pool of qualified and trained students. It would help in launching of commercially viable products, thereby accelerating the growth of Indian Pharmaceuticals sector. Industry speakers also highlighted the requirements of skilled manpower across various spectrum of the healthcare system.

The session ‘Future Trends in MedTech for Geriatric & Home-based care’ was chaired by Dr. V K Paul, Member, NITI Aayog. He said that the life expectancy has increased to 69 from 29 and it is going to increase going forward, so it provides both opportunities and challenges for healthcare. Government is doing all it can to ease life of elderly and public at large and is open to suggestions, including making policy level changes. He further recommended developing smart and affordable solutions for our elderly population, especially for women. Dr. Saurabh Garg, Secretary, Department of Social Justice & Empowerment, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment informed about initiatives of the Government, namely ‘Senior care Ageing Growth Engine (SAGE)’ for promoting aged-care products and services. Dr. Basant Garg Additional CEO, National Health Authority (NHA) informed that they are working on platform agnostic technology to have digital records available easily to all stakeholders. It is hoped that this will lead to better decision-making for healthcare. It was informed that the Ministry of Health& Family Welfare, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, as well as the national think tank NITI Aayog have deeply engaged in multiple initiatives around healthcare and welfare of the elderly in India. The right support and impetus can help transform the Indian home and senior care landscape. Hence, there’s a need to focus on avenues to help develop the ecosystem around it.

The session “Make in India for the World- Global Manufacturing Competitiveness” was chaired by Shri Manoj Aggarwal (IAS), Additional Chief Secretary, Health & Family Welfare Department, Government of Gujarat and co-chaired by Dr. N. Yuvaraj Secretary, Industries & Commerce Department, Government of Andhra Pradesh. Production Linked Incentive Scheme (PLI) has played a pivotal role towards strengthening indigenous manufacturing of Medical Devices and attracting greater investments for make in India. Mr Manoj Aggarwal informed that we are manufacturing medical devices since long, but we have been importing 70-80% of our need. So, there is need to promote manufacturing in the country through greater investment, research, collaboration between industry and academia and promoting startups. We need to work together as a country to be self-sufficient. Mr Awadhesh Kumar Choudhary, Sr Economic Advisor (Pricing, FDI, Coordination), Department of Pharmaceuticals informed that Export is guided by three factors primarily – skills, demand and scale. Apart from that, technology & FDI and research & development are equally important to drive manufacturing and export. Mr Prasanth Vinjamuri, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Government of India informed that BIS is harmonizing Indian standards for medical devices with international standards. Dr. N. Yuvaraj Secretary, Industries & Commerce Department, Government of Andhra Pradesh informed that there are about 6000+ medical devices in the country under different categories. Single domain knowledge is quite minimal considering the wide number of categories and products. There is huge opportunity for the medical device sector. Public health expenditure is increasing and there is huge demand for medical devices. We require a robust infrastructure to support the industry. It may be prudent to focus on specific products and need to enhance research capacity, which will happen over time. At the same time we need to remain mindful of the affordability and accessibility aspects without any compromise on quality. Skill development of the work force acquires immense significance.

The Session ‘Value based procurement (VBP): Ensuring availability of High-end MDs in Tier-II and III cities’ was chaired by Mr Manoj Aggarwal, Additional Chief secretary, Health & Family Welfare Department, Government of Gujarat. There is a need to build awareness about the principles of VBP, its importance and relevance in the Indian healthcare ecosystem. All the key stakeholders of the healthcare ecosystem like the Government, MedTech companies, healthcare providers need to work together to facilitate implementation of VBP in India.

The session namely ‘Demand Forecasting with Procurement Agencies (Presentation)’ was also held in Medtech Expo 2023, wherein presentations were made by State Procurement Agencies Government of Gujarat, Government of Tamil Nadu, ESIC, and NEIGRIHMS, Shillong. Along with the procurement practices followed by these agencies, their estimated demand for coming years was also informed. Presentations on demand forecasting were also made by Private Hospitals & Diagnostic labs.

Industry speakers /Experts also shared their valuable thoughts and feedback during various sessions of the Medtech Expo 2023

Minister Health and Family Welfare and Chemicals and Fertilizers Shri Mansukh accompanied G-20 Ministers and delegates to the India Medtech Expo 2023in the evening. They took a round of the Exhibition halls, visiting various pavilions such as Future Pavilion, Startups Pavilion and R&D Pavilion. The delegates saw various medical devices and technologies on display and interacted with the exhibitors.