Healthcare players press for ‘Make in India’ equipment

“Over 80 per cent of the equipment are imported at a very high price. Manufacturing it in India in line with the Centre’s ‘Make in India’ goal will be instrumental in offering quality healthcare at an affordable price,” G Bakthavathsalam, Chairman, KG Hospital said here on Tuesday.

He was among the healthcare sector representatives interacting with the media during the 9th annual TANCARE healthcare conference organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Tamil Nadu State Council (TNSC). The theme of the conference this year is ‘to promote Coimbatore as a favoured healthcare destination in Tamil Nadu’. 

Noting that maintenance of imported equipment is an uphill task, Dr Bakthavathsalam said the software for the imported equipment has provided by India and that it would not take much time for manufacturing the equipment here. Domestic manufacturing must pay attention to reliability and serviceability also, he added. 

Kovai Medical Centre and Hospital (KMCH) Chairman Nalla G Palanisamy said the import duty on importing medical equipment was only zero to 20 per cent. “High cost of labour in the manufacturing countries and high recurring annual main

tenance cost are issues of concern. Equipment imported at Rs 5 crore attract an annual maintenance cost of Rs 25 lakh to Rs 30 lakh,” he said. 

Trivitron Healthcare MD GSK Velu, who is also FICCI TNSC Healthcare Panel convener, said two decades ago from being an importer of healthcare equipment, China has emerged as number one exporter. 

India continued to import thermometers and glucometers that had been launched in the domestic market over 40 years ago, he lamented. 

Velu said India’s pharmaceutical sector had stopped importing as it is now focused on exporting. It could take about a decade for the medical equipment and device manufacturing sector in the country to reach the self-sustenance stage. “Research and development in on the rise,” he said, adding that top engineering and medical research institutions in the textile hub could work on biomedical devices and equipment.