Dr Jitendra praises WHO cooperation in manufacturing medical devices

Excelsior Correspondent

NEW DELHI, August 9: Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh today praised WHO’s collaboration with India in manufacturing medical devices.
The Minister was speaking after formally signing a Memorandum of Understanding between WHO and the Department of Science and Technology through ‘Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Science & Technology’, Thiruvananthapuram.
The MoU signed between Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Science and Technology in the Department of Science & Technology and WHO is a landmark step, said Dr Jitendra Singh, while applauding WHO for its humanitarian initiatives in India. He referred to WHO’s Covid Technology Access Pool (CTAP), now known as Health Technology Access Pool (HTAP), an excellent initiative as it provides access to successful health technologies to various countries.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, “The Ministry of Science and Technology is happy to participate in the MoU as it allows SCTIMST and the Department of Science and Technology to partner with global entrepreneurs by licensing technologies and generating revenue through royalties.”
Recalling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for Atmanirbhar Bharat and self-reliance for India during the challenging COVID times of 2020, Dr Jitendra Singh said that despite manufacturing the devices indigenously, we have to manufacture them in required quantity to meet the demand.
The minister said that by promoting domestic manufacturing and reducing dependence on imports, the partnership strengthens India’s position as a leader in healthcare innovation. It also contributes to the development of a highly skilled workforce, which further increases the country’s manufacturing potential.
The Minister of Science and Technology emphasized that we have world-class facilities for the development of technologies such as in vitro research, genomics, precision medicine and vaccine production. He added that the technology developed by SCTIMST is part of the rapidly developing ecosystem of medical diagnostics.
Dr Jitendra Singh expressed confidence in the collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to further advance technology and innovation, and foster international partnerships to strengthen our medical, diagnostic and therapeutic infrastructure and maintain a leading position in the fight against global diseases and future pandemics.
Dr VK Saraswat, Member, NITI Aayog and President, SCTIMST, Dr A Karandikar, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Dr Rogério Paulo Pinto de Sá Gaspar, Honorary Officer Acting Director General and Director, Department of Regulation and Prequalification, WHO, Geneva, Dr Roderico H. Ofrin, Representative of the World Health Organization in India, Dr Manisha Shridhar, Regional Advisor, South-East Asia Regional Office, WHO, Dr Sanjay Behari, Director, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Science and Technology, Dr HK Varma, Head, Biomedical Technology Wing, Dr Anoop Thekkuveettil, Scientist G, members of INSA, DST, ICMR, DBT and other organizations, members of WHO, members of SCTIMST were also present at the meeting.