ICMR establishes centres at seven IITs to foster MedTech innovations

Indian Council of Medical Research and Department of Health Research have unveiled ICMR-DHR-Centre of Excellence at seven IITs, read here to know more.

To foster `MedTech` innovations in India, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Department of Health Research (DHR) have unveiled the ICMR-DHR-Centre of Excellence (CoE) at seven IITs.

ICMR tweet reads, "ICMR & DHR under Medical Device & Diagnostics Mission Secretariat unveiled ICMR-DHR-Centre of Excellence (CoE) at 7 IITs for fostering @makeinindia Product development in Medtech Sector for an Aatma Nirbhar Bharat."

 

These seven IITs where the ICMR-DHR centres have been set up include IIT-Bombay, IIT-Delhi, IIT-Guwahati, IIT-Hyderabad, IIT-Kanpur, IIT-Kharagpur and IIT-Madras. The centres have been set to develop the products, and technologies in synergy with the requirements of the National Health Mission, Ayushman Bharat and Public Health Programmes of the government for their potential deployment.

MedTech innovations needed to reduce import dependency

Currently, India’s healthcare sector has an 80% import dependency for its medical device needs. "IITs being pioneers in undertaking research, innovation and prototype development along with ICMR`s strength in conducting clinical trials, validation and Health Technology Assessment (HTA) will usher a new paradigm in Make-in-India product development in the Country. The ICMR-DHR CoEs at IITs will, in turn, collaborate with the medical institutes to develop need-driven, affordable and inclusive healthcare solutions for their wider adoption," said ICMR in a statement.

"The setting up of CoE at IITs is a new ecosystem-driven approach with a mission of bringing high-end healthcare technologies for an underserved community, catering to the last mile," said Dr Balram Bhargava, DG, ICMR, as reported by DNA. 

To support pandemic preparedness, ICMR-DHR has also established the Medical Product Gateway of India (mPRAGATI) at IIT Delhi under Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission(PM-ABHIM) scheme to develop diagnostics and medical technologies for epidemiological preparedness.

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