Now Reading: India cuts healthcare import dependence with med-tech push
-
01
India cuts healthcare import dependence with med-tech push
India has reduced out-of-pocket expenditure on health care from 65% to 43% in recent years, Hindustan Times reports. The government is pushing domestic manufacturing of medical devices under the National Medical Devices…
The Story in Brief
India has reduced out-of-pocket expenditure on health care from 65% to 43% in recent years, Hindustan Times reports. The government is pushing domestic manufacturing of medical devices under the National Medical Devices Policy 2023 and the Production Linked Incentive scheme, with manufacturing of over 50 high-end devices already started. India's med-tech sector is now the fourth-largest in Asia and among the top 20 globally.
The Indian Opinion
The government's narrative positions this as a self-reliance triumph, but the numbers that matter are actual import bills and device prices patients pay. Claims of 50 devices being manufactured domestically sound impressive, but how many of these are life-saving implants versus simple disposables? The real test will be whether patients in district hospitals see lower bills for stents, pacemakers, and MRI scans within two years. If import data for 2025 shows a real drop in value terms, the story holds.
Source: hindustantimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
