MedTech Mitra Launch by Union Minister
Context:
Recently, the Union Minister has introduced MedTech Mitra, a significant platform designed to bolster the capabilities of the country’s young talents by providing support and refining their research, knowledge, and logical skills, ultimately aiding them in securing regulatory approval.
Relevance:
GS-02 (Government schemes and policies)
Highlights:
- MedTech Mitra functions as an online portal specifically tailored for med-tech startups.
- The primary objective of this platform is to offer assistance to medtech innovators in navigating through clinical evaluation processes, regulatory facilitation, and the successful uptake of new products.
- This initiative is a collaborative effort between the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), operating under the guidance of NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission.
- India’s med-tech sector currently relies significantly on imports, constituting up to 80 percent in certain cases. The launch of MedTech Mitra comes in the wake of the government’s earlier initiatives, including the introduction of the National Medical Device Policy and a Rs 5,000 crore scheme aimed at promoting research in the pharmaceutical and medtech domains.
- Despite these efforts, India’s share in the global medical devices market remains at a modest 1.5 percent. Notably, India stands as the fourth-largest medical equipment manufacturer in Asia, contributing 8 percent to the global medtech research and development workforce.
