Medical Technology Association of India, which represents leading research-based medical technology companies with significant investments in India, welcomed the budget announcements on healthcare sector made by the Finance Minister.
Finance Minister Piyush Goyal presented the Budget for 2019-20 in the Lok Sabha on February 1, 2019, where he highlighted the steps taken by the Central government to provide affordable health care to the poor. The government has been providing cheaper drugs through Jan Aushadhi stores, he added.
Piyush Goyal stated that the government plans to launch a national programme on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and will set up a national AI portal for the purpose.
Commenting on the budget initiatives in the healthcare sector, Medical Technology Association of India (MTaI) Chairman and Director General Pavan Choudary said, “By bringing health and AI together on the agenda, the government has set a very progressive human resource tone. The national programme on AI should be unfolded by Co-opting knowledgeable stakeholders from the nine domains that are being targeted.”
“Goyal also announced that a new All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS) will be set up in Haryana shortly. Out of the 21 AIIMS that have been established or operating in country, 14 have been sanctioned since 2014,” added Goyal.
MTaI cheered the government’s overall effort to boost the medical devices sector. “The AIIMS announced in Haryana is welcome. All the AIIMS in the making, including this one, should be monitored for speedy commissioning. The commitment to pursue progress in medical devices as almost a mission is heartening and is reflective of this government’s understanding that this sector is of keystone importance,” Choudary added.
