Piyush Goyal, Commerce and Industry Minister, has asked the pharmaceuticals and medical equipment manufacturing industry to keep up their contribution towards making India self-reliant in health and strive to become a reliable global player.

“No doubt all of you have made the nation proud and showed to the world that India can be a trusted partner in global engagement and trade,” said Goyal onthe performance of the medical industry during the Covid-19 crisis on Thursday. The Minister was speaking at a CII conference on health.

Goyal said that in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision shared on ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, the medical community, especially medical equipment manufacturers, had a particular mention. This was not just in terms of its success in ramping up capacities to meet the present needs during the Covid-19 crisis, but also for the role it would play in the future when the healthcare needs of the nation is upgraded and spending increased, the Minister added.

Tech focus

He said the latest technologies, including 3G, 4G, AI and data analytics, will be used to ensure quality health care for all Indians. This is the time when we have to leverage the tools of technology to recharge out health system with the power of 3 As – Access, Awareness and Availability, he added. The Covid-19 period has been a learning period for the industry, and it has taught us that being self-reliant is important if we want to protect our people, he said.

“Our pharmaceutical industry will evolve from the realisation that Covid-19 has brought upon us... that being self-reliant is important to care for the lives of the people,” he said.

During the ongoing health crisis, our pharmaceutical industry has persevered to ensure adequate supply of medicines not only for India but also globally, said the Minister.

“The medical equipment industry laboured to provide equipment needed during pandemic. Ventilator is very big example,” he added.

Goyal added that the industry has to move on from being the ‘pharmacy of the world’ to the ‘hospital of the world’, where the world will be able to use facilities, high quality medical care, and high quality treatment that India will provide. Medical devices industry will be at the forefront of bringing technology to India, and ensuring our rightful place in the global trade for equipment and engagement with hospitals internationally, he said.