According to the report (by Durgesh Nandan Jha), India has now reversed an old trend to become a net exporter of medical consumables and disposables, a first for the country. Till now, foreign products dominated the country’s market for medical consumables, which include needles and catheters, among other things.
The Union Pharma Secretary said on Tuesday that in the fiscal year 2022-23, the country exported consumables and disposables valued at $1.6 billion, surpassing imports which amounted to approximately $1.1 billion. Exports witnessed a 16% increase over the previous fiscal year, whereas imports saw a 33% decline.
Chawla mentioned during an event hosted by his department and CII that the government aims to duplicate this achievement in other sectors like surgical instruments and electronic equipment, aiming to decrease reliance on imports.
Following the COVID outbreak, the government intensified efforts to decrease reliance on imports for essential pharmaceutical products and devices, particularly after China restricted the supply of everything from basic chemicals to PPEs and testing kits.
India’s dominance low-cost generic medicines is well-regarded, but in the medical devices business, the country has continued to be heavily dependent on imports. At present, as much as 70 per cent of the medical devices the country needs are imported. China is among the major sources of imports.The government has subdivided the medical device sector into categories including cancer therapy, imaging, critical care, assistive medical devices, body implants, surgical instruments, hospital equipment, consumables and disposables, and IVD instruments and reagents. The pharmaceutical secretary mentioned ongoing discussions to identify significant medical devices within each category, evaluate their import-export patterns, analyze duty structures, and assess their impacts throughout the value chain.ToI’s report said quoting Himanshu Baid, chairman of CII’s national medical technology forum, “During Covid, demand for consumables and disposables increased tremendously which pushed the industry towards augmenting its manufacturing.”
