Lok Sabha Question No. 1423 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-31
Subject: Cost of Medical Devices
Ministry: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Shri Naresh Ganpat Mhaske, Dr. Shrikant Eknath Shinde, Shri Praveen Patel, Dr. D. Purandeswari, Shri Haribhai Patel

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF BIOTECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1423 TO BE ANSWERED ON 31.07.2024

## Cost of Medical Devices

- 1423 Shri Naresh Ganpat Mhaske:

Dr.Shrikant Eknath Shinde:

Shri Praveen Patel:

Smt. Daggubati Purandeswari:

Shri Haribhai Patel:

Will the Minister of SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY विज्ञानऔर प्रौद्योविकी मंत्री

be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Ministry has set up any mechanism to provide access to affordable and dependable medical imaging solutions considering its high cost and low availability;
- (b) the steps taken and progress made in this field in alignment with the concept of 'Make in India-Made for the World';
- (c) whether India has emerged among the world's top five healthcare manufacturers;
- (d) whether Medical Devices are considered as one of the sunrise sectors in the country; and
- (e) the steps taken by Government to make India its manufacturing hub?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR THE MINISTRY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

( ) ( . )

- (a),  (b)  &  (e):  Yes,  Sir.  The  Government  of  India  has  taken  several  measures  to develop  affordable  and  dependable  medical  imaging  solutions  in  the  country. Imaging technologies that have been commercialized include:
-  3nethra classic- Digital non-mydriatic fundus camera for retinal imaging. The device has been used to perform 2.5+ million screenings; over 2600 devices have been sold out in over 28 countries.
-  The  3nethra  neo-  Another  version  of  the  device,  a  compact,  portable, advanced  wide-field  digital  imaging  system  to  identify  ocular  diseases,  has been used to screen Retinopathy of Prematurity (RoP) in new born and is sold at one-fifth of the price of imported device. Over 10000 screenings have been completed with this device and over 100 products sold in 9 countries.
-  Indigenous  lightweight,  compact,  high  field  Magnetic  Resonance  Imaging (MRI) scanner.

Various imaging technologies prototypes for cancer screening, endoscopy, etc. are at clinical validation stages.

In  order  to  align  with  'Make  in  India-  Made  for  the  World',  the  Department  of Biotechnology  (DBT),  Department  of  Science  &  Technology  (DST)  and  Council  of Scientific  and  Industrial  Research  (CSIR),  promote  and  accelerate  Research  & Development in this field and provide an enabling platform for academics, Start-ups, and related organizations  to  convert  the  laboratory  level  prototypes  into  packaged models and help in transfer of technology for commercialization.

Further, the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), a not-forprofit, Section 8, Public Sector Enterprise set up by the DBT offers various schemes and  mission  programs  for  biotech  Start-ups,  industries  as  well  as  partnering academic  organizations  for  supporting  development  of  medical  devices,  including affordable medical imaging solutions.

The Department of Pharmaceuticals, has taken following steps to promote Make-inIndia and make a manufacturing hub in medical devices:

-  The  Production  Linked  Incentive  (PLI)  Scheme  for  'Promoting  Domestic Manufacturing of Medical Devices' with total financial outlay Rs. 3,420 crore and  tenure  from  FY  2020-2021  to  2027-28,  provides  incentive  to  selected companies  at  the  rate  of  5%  on  incremental  sales  of  medical  devices manufactured  in  India,  for  a  period  of  five  years.  The  four  target  segments covered  under  the  scheme  include  Radiology  &  Imaging  medical  devices (both ionizing & non-ionizing radiation products) and Nuclear Imaging devices. Under the scheme, domestic manufacturing of high-end medical devices has started which include Linear Accelerator, MRI Scan, CT-Scan, Mammogram, C-Arm, MRI Coils, etc.
-  The  scheme  'Promotion  of  Medical  Devices  Parks',  with  a  total  financial outlay of Rs. 400 crore provides for the maximum financial assistance of Rs. 100 crore each to 4 selected States/Union Territories, for creation of Common Infrastructure  Facilities  in  the  upcoming  Medical  Devices  Parks.  Under  the scheme, final  approval  for  financial  assistance  of  Rs.  100  crore  each  were

given  to  the  States  of  Uttar  Pradesh,  Tamil  Nadu,  Madhya  Pradesh  and Himachal Pradesh.

-  Scheme  for  Assistance  to  the  Medical  Devices  Clusters  for  the  Common Facilities and Establishing / Strengthening of testing facilities for the medical devices  has  also  been  launched  with  financial  outlay  of  Rs.  300  crore,  for three  years  period,  to  support  12  Common  Infrastructure  Facilities  in  the medical devices clusters and to establish 12 testing facilities.

(c) & (d):  Yes, Sir. Medical device sector has been recognized as one of the sunrise sectors  in  the  country.  India  is  one  of  the  fastest  growing  markets  in  the  global medical devices industry. India is the 4th largest Asian medical devices market after Japan,  China,  and  South  Korea  and  among  the  top  20  global  medical  devices markets in the world.

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