Health Knows No Boundaries: India Pushes MedTech Collaboration Across South & Southeast Asia
The two-day dialogue, hosted by the Department of Health Research and ICMR in New Delhi, brought together officials and experts from India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and Timor-Leste.
New Delhi, August 23: India is laying the foundations to emerge as a global hub for medical technology, said Amit Agrawal, Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals, while chairing a key session on MedTech innovation at the South & Southeast Asia regional meet on Health Research and Innovations in Public Health. The two-day dialogue, hosted by the Department of Health Research and ICMR in New Delhi, brought together officials and experts from India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and Timor-Leste.
“Health knows no boundaries. The pandemic taught us that collaboration across borders and sectors is essential for building resilient healthcare systems,” Agrawal said, stressing the need for cross-border partnerships and shared infrastructure to scale medical device innovation.
Agrawal highlighted India’s ongoing efforts, including MedTech parks, ICMR’s MedTech Mitra and Patent Mitra initiatives, and clinical trial support schemes. He said India was systematically creating an innovation-friendly ecosystem with internationally accredited labs, harmonised standards, and mechanisms for demand aggregation beyond national borders.
On capacity building, he pointed to the growing role of the National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPERs), which now offer specialised medical device courses open to foreign students.
The Secretary also noted that medical technologies were moving beyond hospitals into households via digitalisation, making healthcare more affordable and accessible. Platforms like the Academia to Industry: Discovery Marketplace, he said, are linking startups, research institutes, and industry to accelerate breakthroughs for both commercial and public good.
Agrawal concluded by underlining the RESEARCH platform’s role in positioning South and Southeast Asia as a “global powerhouse” for MedTech innovation.
