·        “The 12th Five-Year plan has envisaged the creation of as many as 1200 technical personnel including 300 medical devices officers for  efficient implementation of the new regulatory regime as envisaged in the Medical Devices Bill, which is now under consideration of the Rajya Sabha.” This was shared by Dr G. N Singh, Drug Controller General of India while addressing CII's 6th Medical Technology Conference held in the city today.

·      The Conference focused on the Medical Technology and its vital place in Healthcare in India. Present at this one-day mega event were Mr. Ajay Shankar, Member Secretary, National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council, Dr. G. N. Singh , Drug Controller General of India, and Dr. S.E. Reddy, Deputy Drug Controller, India, Dr. Naresh Trehan, Chairman, CII National Committee On Healthcare and CMD, Medanta – The Medicity along with a large number of leaders from the medical equipment, devices, diagnostic sectors and key government officials and large healthcare providers. The event was organised to share, identify and recommend solutions and experiences for creating a harmonised medical technology platform in the country.

·         In the context of the recently tabled Medical Devices Bill, Dr DN Singh further advised that the Government was very clear about avoiding any form of overregulation while ensuring safety, efficacy and quality of patient care.

·         Referring to the medical technology industry as the “sunrise” sector, Mr Ajay Shankar, Member Secretary, National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council emphasised that the Government was cognisant that the industry was poised to grow very rapidly in the next 10 years, possibly at a rate of 10% to 12% creating more than hundred million jobs in the process. He supported the industry's proposal for Governments interventions in creating an ecosystem for innovation, R&D and provide incubation and funding support to start-ups. He further observed that NMCC was open to the creation of a strategic package for the medical technology industry to support its growth provided the industry could present to the NMCC a unified proposal encompassing different strategic elements. He further emphasised that such an initiative should not focus too much on the long-term but rather on the immediate and medium-terms.

·       Dr. Naresh Trehan, Chairman, CII National Committee on Healthcare in his address focused on the need for the medical technology sector to come forward with innovations that could not only meet the  high-end requirements, but also able to address the enormous healthcare demand that are emerging in the country at the urban, suburban and rural levels. He urged ordered the industry to come forward with innovations which could meet the requirements of the population in the last mile. In this context he said India should learn from the experience of other countries and the sector should work towards a strategic program for developing into a powerhouse and innovation hub which could not only meet the burgeoning demand for healthcare delivery in the country but also be able to serve the needs of many other countries in the  African,  Asian and CIS regions etc. The total population that could be served by India in these markets could aggregate to as many as 4 billion people.

·        Speaking on the occasion, Mr Pavan Choudary, Chairman, CII Medical Equipment Division and MD, Vygon India Pvt Ltd shared “If India has to achieve universal healthcare for all by 2020, it has to ensure that the four wheels of healthcare viz. The healthcare providers, the pharmaceutical industry, the health insurance sector and the medical technology industry grow in tandem. Though medical technology is vital, it was still the smallest of the wheels. To help it reach its potential it needs smooth flows of FDI, technical and R&D collaborations, a strong incentive to set up manufacturing units in India, a robust technological ecosystem to support this manufacturing activity, and an appropriate regulatory regime”. 

·   Mr Himanshu Baid, Co Chairman, CII Medical Equipment Division and MD Poly Medicure Ltd while addressing the audience said, “In India about 70% of population is rural having limited access to the Health Care facilities in comparison to the urban population. Through CII, we aim to bring innovative technologies, meet the external and internal challenges and eliminate the gap between rural and urban facilities”

·         India’s medical technology space is one of the most prominent markets in South East Asia, ranked fourth in the Region in terms of its market size and potential. While there was a growing need for innovation and capacity creation to enhance quality of healthcare products and delivery, development in the medical technology sector hinge on collaborative efforts across companies (both domestic as well as large MNC players),  research institutes, Government and regulatory bodies with each force playing a crucial role in shaping an effective policy that will define the healthcare ecosystem and ensure easy access and affordable healthcare without compromising on quality.  

·      As outlined by the Theme Paper by Grant Thornton “ Progressive Change” released at the 6^th Medical Technology Conference; the Indian Medical device and equipment market currently valued at USD 4.4 Billion, was expected to grow to around USD 5.8 Billion by 2014 and USD 7.8 Billion by 2016 growing at a CAGR of 15.5 %.

CII organized 6th Medical Technology Conference on 26 September, 2013 at New Delhi.

If India has to achieve universal healthcare for all by 2020, it has to ensure that the four wheels of Healthcare viz. the Healthcare providers (Hospitals), the Pharmaceutical industry, the Medical Technology industry and Health Insurance industry grow in tandem.

Though each of these wheels squeak from time to time, the Pharma industry has acquired a size ($ 16 billion). Its age and size help it take care of the problems that it faces. Hospitals ($ 32 billion), which have their set of problems, also are as a community full bodied and vocal enough to handle these. The Health Insurance industry with its snags has reached a size of 10 billion dollars and seems off to a good start: with a growth rate of 42% per annum the penetration of Health Insurance is expected to treble by 2015.

The Medical Technology Industry is the smallest of the wheels ($ 4 billion only including Medical devices, equipment and diagnostics). And yet it has contributed significantly to improving healthcare outcomes. These contributions are however, yet to be fully recognized by the Government or even by the hospitals. The industry is under regulatory pressure from the government and often under price pressure from the hospitals.

The MNCs in this industry have contributed by bringing basic and advanced medical technologies to address patient needs into India, by investing in training of medical staff, by bringing FDI and technology, by entering manufacturing due to consistent signals received from the Government so far. Today, it is also due to the ready availability of state of the art medical technology, that healthcare outcomes of many of our hospitals are comparable to those of John Hopkins or M.D. Andersen University today. This helps us not only save the precious foreign exchange which we used to spend earlier on medical treatment abroad but also attracts a couple of billion dollars in Medical tourism every year. This has been made possible in a good measure because of the free cross border flow of technologies especially after the reforms which started in 1990s.

The local industry also has innovated, has brought lower cost versions of many basic devices and has also earned foreign exchange. Both need to understand how important it is for them to collaborate. Several manufacturers e.g. Philips, GE, Stryker have set up big R&D centers in India which have churned out India friendly technologies and these have been commercialized through their manufacturing plants in India or abroad. Many multinationals too have set up plants e.g. 3M, Baxter, Becton Dickinson, B. Braun, GE, Holllister, Johnson and Johnson, Phillips, Nipro, Terumo.

The list is impressive but too short for the potential which this market offers. As per a Health ministry officer every 4th or 5th FDI proposal is from a medical technology company.

In the same breath the figures as released by the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) indicate that during the period April 2000 to June 2012, when Drugs and Pharmaceuticals witnessed FDI inflows of US $ 9,659 million, medical and surgical appliance had FDI inflows of US$ 523 million only.

If the market holds such promise then what is the reason for such a poor performance on the FDI front.

The main reason for the poor performance of this sector on the FDI front, as elsewhere, is the classification of devices as drugs (since 2005). This classification burdens the process of investment with fiscal policy obstacles and regulatory hurdles. Medical devices will have to be distinguished from Drugs else most proposals will get entangled in red tape and delays.

Since almost all high tech devices (and more than 65% of medical technology) are still imported, it is a known fact that the development of this sector is largely dependent upon the ability of the country to attract foreign investment, foreign collaborations and international technology into the country.