New Delhi, Dec 14 (KNN) To give fillip to startups and manufacturing companies in medical device sector, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu, announced the setting up of National Medical Devices Promotion Council.

Speaking at a program on the occasion of 4^th WHO Global Forum on Medical Devices at Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone, Prabhu said that the council will be set up under the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) in the Ministry of Commerce & Industry.

He said “As Indian manufacturing companies and startups move towards creating innovative products, the setting-up of the council will spur domestic manufacturing in this sector.”

According to Ministry of Commerce & Industry release, the council will be headed by Secretary, DIPP and will also have representatives from health care industry and quality control institutions.

Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone, Visakhapatnam, will provide technical support to the Council, it added.

The council will act as a facilitating and promotion & developmental body for the Indian Medical Devices Industry (MDI), which plays a critical role in the healthcare ecosystem.

Besides, the council will be responsible for holding periodic seminars, workshops and all related networking activities to garner views of the industry and understand best global practices in the sector and deliberate on various parameters for inclusion in the industrial and trade policies in medical devices.

According to release, the council will enable the entry of emerging interventions and support certifications for manufacturers to reach levels of global trade norms and lead India to an export driven market in the sector.

Not only this, the newly formed council will support dissemination and documentation of international norms and standards for medical devices, by capturing the best practices in the global market and facilitate domestic manufacturers to rise to international level of understanding of regulatory and non-regulatory needs of the industry.

The council will further discourage unfair trade practices in imports by driving a robust and dynamic Preferential Market Access (PMA) policy.

It will further undertake validation of Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs) and other such entities within MDI sector, which add value to the industry strength in manufacturing to gain foothold for new entrants.

Last but not the least, the council will make recommendations to government based on industry feedback and global practices on policy and process interventions to strengthen the medical technology sector, including trade interventions for related markets.