25 MoUs worth Rs 5,090 cr signed by MedTech Zone
With an aim to boost the medical equipment and devices sector, the State government has signed 25 MoUs. At the summit, a total of 25 MoUs worth Rs 5,090 crore with an employment opportunity of 4,750 jobs pertaining to the health sector were signed.
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The projects will create 17,000 jobs, including direct employment to 5,000 persons.
Andhra MedTech Zone (AMTZ) will soon have a 3D printing facility for fitting implants and affordable glucometers for every household and will also be the first hub in the country to manufacture CT scan machines within a year, said AMTZ CEO Jitender Sharma at the ‘Medical Equipment’ session held during the CII Partnership summit in the city.
The State health secretary Poonam Malakondaiah said Andhra Pradesh would soon come up with an e-health record digital locker for all citizens and expressed confidence that AP’s Ayushman Bhav health insurance programme would be replicated by all other states in the future.
Jitender Sharma said reduction of basic customs duty on medical devices that enables import of spare parts at a cheaper cost, non-requirement of FDI approval and encouraging market access policy of the government have given a boost to medical device manufacturers. At AMTZ, 18 high-end labs and 200 factories are coming up including a factory that would produce affordable glucometers.
Dr Yogesh Patil, associated with the manufacture of low-cost Bluetooth-enabled glucometers, said, “The cost of diagnosing diabetes will soon come down from Rs 1,500-Rs 2,000 to Rs 300 to Rs 400 and glucometer strips will also become very cheap.”
Thrust was placed on manufacturing diagnostic devices and radiology equipment. “There is not a single manufacturer of CT scan machines in India but now a 16-slide machine will come up in Vizag MedTech Zone. The high-end facility at AMTZ would include an antenna of 40 gigahertz capacity. There is also the requirement for more sophisticated and precise devices such as implants,” said Sharma.