Govt approves setting up of Exports Promotion Council for Medical Devices

This came after the detailed deliberations in the meetings held by Department of Commerce (DoC), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India(GoI), with regard to creation of an Export Promotion Council for Medical Devices.

"Based on the detailed deliberations in the meetings held by Department of Commerce (DoC), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India(Gol), with regard to the creation of an Export Promotion Council for Medical Devices and the suggestions/responses received from the stakeholders in the Medical Devices sector, approval of DoC, Gol is hereby conveyed to the setting up of an Export Promotion Council for Medical Devices," an office memorandum stated.

The separate EPC for medical devices sector may be created under the administrative control of Department of Pharmaceuticals, Government of India, being the nodal Department for the medical devices sector.

The creation of the Exports Promotion Council for medical devices is approved by DoC with one-time waiver of the condition in the guidelines on the subject, stipulating the creation of an Export Promotion Forum initially, before its upgradation as the Department of Commerce.

The new Export Promotion Council (EPC) for medical devices will be set up, with Headquarters in YEIDA, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, and regional offices in Andhra Pradesh (in AMTZ, Visakhapatnam) and Telangana (in Hyderabad).

This proposed Council will help exporters in promoting their products in international markets, through various promotional activities including organising/ participating in international trade fairs, buyer-seller meets, RBSM in India, etc., in line with the foreign trade policy (FTP) of India.

The Council may also organize awareness programs for the dissemination of information regarding assistance available for the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) exporters under various government schemes.

The government further introduced that it would offer an initial financial contribution of Rs 3 crore, a free office space measuring roughly 5000 square feet at the proposed Medical Devices Park Common Facility Centre (CFC), Greater Noida, as well as the necessary secretarial staff.

Additionally, it is specified that YEIDA shall provide suitable office space in their current facility until the Common Facility Centre (CFC) is completed.

The Regional Office at AMTZ, Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) shall be set up in a period of one year, i.e., by the end of 2023 and the Regional Office at Hyderabad (Telangana) shall be set up in a period of three years, i.e., by 2025. The AMTZ and Telangana government shall facilitate establishment of regional offices in Vishakhapatnam and Hyderabad respectively by providing, inter alia, suitable office space (free of cost), manpower (free of cost), and appropriate funding.

Welcoming the decision, Mr. Rajiv Nath, Forum Coordinator of the Association of Indian Medical Device Industry (AiMeD) said, "It's great news, a big boost to the Indian Medical Devices Manufacturing. The long-sought and requested Medical Devices Exports Promotion Council is finally sanctioned to be created under the aegis of DoP, Govt. of India. This strategic step will go a long way in accelerating the exports and manufacturing growth of the medical devices sector."

"India currently exports Rs. 23,766 Cr (2021-22) of medical devices up from previous year Rs.19,736 Cr. The Exports Promotion Council for Medical Devices will help bring in coordinated inter-ministerial policy measures for unleashing the huge export potential and investment potential of over Rs. 80,000 Cr for manufacturing medical devices for the Global market in India's quest to be one of the Top 5 preferred supplier base of medical devices worldwide and we are thankful to the Minister of Commerce and Industry in taking this initiative to help realise our Prime Minister's vision," he added.

In accordance with the office memorandum, the administration and management of the council shall be through a Committee of Administration (CoA) as per the extant guidelines of the Department of Commerce.

The CoA shall have elected and nominated members (without voting rights). The nominated members shall be from the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Department of Commerce, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), and CEOs/ MDs of major medical device clusters/ parks, especially from where regional offices will be established viz. MD, AMTZ; CEO, Hyderabad Pharma City; etc.

The Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Council shall be elected from members who are manufacturers or processors of medical devices. Other members, including from merchant exporters, shall not be eligible to become Chairman and Vice Chairman of the council. However, they will be eligible for other positions in the CoA.

While the headquarters in YEIDA will currently serve the requirements of member exporters PAN India, once the ROs are functional, the states would be distributed among the 3 offices (HQ and Two ROs). It has been provisionally agreed that while the RO in Vishakhapatnam will have jurisdiction over the states of Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, and Chhattisgarh, the RO in Hyderabad will have jurisdiction over the states of Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, and Maharashtra.

However, a final decision regarding the jurisdiction of the ROs will be taken by the Committee of Administration (CoA) after the operationalisation of the Council with headquarters at Greater Noida. If required, the CoA will decide to set up separate regional/sub-regional offices in other states based on the requests from members and feasibility.

"The entire range of medical devices goods and services could be broadly qualified into sub-groups called panels, such as disposables, consumables, orthopaedic implants, IVD Equipments & Reagents, and surgical instruments. Further, to coordinate the activities of the Council in a more focused manner, there could also be panels like Policy advocacy, technology degradation, and transfer and start-ups," the memorandum further stated.

Engineering Export Promotion Council of India (EEPC) India to provide all assistance and guidance to the newly set up medical devices export promotion council in the discharge of its function for a period of 5 years.

"Department of Pharmaceuticals shall ensure that the Export Promotion Council for Medical Devices follows the guidelines and instructions issued from time to time by the Department of Commerce to the Exports Promotion Councils and also the provisions contained in the Foreign Trade Policy pertaining to the Exports Promotion Councils, and is fully compliant with the rules, including the conduct of elections, within a period of one year," said Department of Commerce.

For more details, check out the full story on the link below:

https://medicaldialogues.in/pdf_upload/office-memorandum-setting-up-of-an-exports-promotion-council-for-medical-devices-approved-by-doc-186161.pdf