Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Oct 17: NITI Aayog is exploring comprehensive policy interventions to strengthen domestic manufacturing of medical and dental devices, with a focus on addressing regulatory hurdles, infrastructure gaps and cost disadvantages faced by Indian manufacturers.

The government's public policy think tank held a consultation on Wednesday with domestic medical device and dental equipment manufacturers, government officials and industry representatives to identify challenges and explore measures to improve the competitiveness of the sector.

The meeting, chaired by NITI Aayog vice chairman Ashok Lahiri, was attended by officials from the departments of pharmaceuticals, health, science and technology, and the Indian Council of Medical Research. Experts from IIT Delhi and IIT Mumbai, e-commerce platforms involved in the sale of dental devices and the Association of Indian Medical Device Industry (AiMeD) also participated.

The discussions focused on identifying key challenges in domestic manufacturing and examining the regulatory, infrastructural and fiscal interventions required to strengthen India's medical and dental device industry. The consultation also sought to explore opportunities for collaboration between the government and industry and formulate recommendations aligned with the country's healthcare priorities.

In a presentation submitted to NITI Aayog, AiMeD called for a dedicated law governing medical devices, simpler regulatory approval procedures and financial assistance to help domestic manufacturers compete with imported products.

The industry body highlighted that Indian manufacturers face a cost disadvantage of 10 to 15 per cent due to high capital and energy costs, logistics expenses, limited access to risk capital and inadequate testing and research infrastructure.

AiMeD also raised concerns over the growing regulatory burden, stating that the time required to establish a manufacturing facility had increased significantly. According to the industry body, setting up a facility, which earlier took around 18 months, can now take nearly four years due to multiple approvals, overlapping regulatory authorities and changing requirements.

The industry has called for a more streamlined regulatory framework and improved financial and infrastructural support to encourage domestic production and reduce dependence on imported medical and dental devices.

The consultation is expected to help identify policy measures to strengthen India's manufacturing capabilities, encourage innovation and improve the availability of medical technologies in line with the country's healthcare needs.