Medical Device Imports Still at 70%, India Spent Over USD 25 Billion in 5 Years: Parliament Informed

According to data submitted by the government in the Rajya Sabha, the cumulative import value for electromedical equipment stood at USD 24,586 million and for surgical instruments at USD 951 million.

This comes in response to a query raised by Shri Narain Dass Gupta seeking details of foreign exchange outflow on imports, the vulnerabilities arising from import dependence, and policy interventions to reduce it. As per the official reply provided by Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers Anupriya Patel on July 29, 2025, “as per import data maintained by the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics, the value of imports of electromedical equipment, including ventilators and diagnostic imaging equipment, and surgical instruments during the last five years is as under: (In million US$)

In response to questions on India’s high import dependence, the government noted that it had assessed the situation and initiated several schemes to boost local manufacturing. “In 2020, assessing that the domestic medical devices market was heavily dependent on imports, which contributed to more than 85% of the market, Government launched the following schemes,” the reply stated.

The “PLI Scheme for Promoting Domestic Manufacturing of Medical Devices” was launched with a total budgetary outlay of Rs 3,420 crore and a five-year performance-linked incentive period from FY2022-23 to FY2026-27. Under this scheme, “selected companies are eligible for financial incentive for incremental sales of domestically manufactured medical devices… So far, 21 greenfield projects have been commissioned, and production has started for 54 products, which include high-end medical devices on which the country has been import-dependent, such as linear accelerators, MRI, Ultrasound, CT scans, Mammograms, C-Arm and X-ray machines.” Till March 2025, “cumulative eligible sales Rs 10,413.40 crore have been achieved under the scheme, including exports worth Rs 5,002 crore.”

Additionally, the “Scheme for Promotion of Medical Devices Parks” was launched to create common infrastructure and testing facilities. “Three parks have been approved and are at an advanced stage of development in Greater Noida (Uttar Pradesh), Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh) and Kanchipuram (Tamil Nadu). The total project cost of these parks is over Rs 871.11 crore, with Central assistance to the tune of Rs 100 crore each.”

Further policy actions include the announcement of the “National Medical Devices Policy, 2023” aimed at accelerating growth of the sector. Under this, several initiatives were undertaken:

“The Promotion of Research and Innovation in Pharma MedTech Sector (PRIP) scheme has been launched with an outlay of Rs 5,000 crore… Under this, a Centre for Excellence in medical devices has been established at the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Ahmedabad with an outlay of Rs 100 crore.”

“The Uniform Code for Market Practices in Medical Devices, 2024 has been issued.”

“The Scheme for Strengthening Medical Device Industry has been launched with a financial outlay of Rs 500 crore to provide support in manufacturing of key components and accessories, skill development, support for clinical studies, development of common infrastructure and industry promotion.”

Despite these measures, the Minister informed the House that India’s import dependence in the sector remains high. “In November 2024, assessing that the dependence on imports continues to be about 70%, Government has launched the Scheme for Strengthening Medical Device Industry…”

In response to whether any target had been set to reduce import dependence to below 40%, the government replied: “No, Sir.”