The Government is committed to take necessary steps for structural transformation of the regulatory framework of medical education and practice in India .
ARUN JAITLEY , UNION FINANCE MINISTER
Yojana and the e-NAM scheme .
However , Mr Barwale also says that the seed industry hasn ’ t got its due . “ We find amiss that the seed sector has been not been given its due attention in the Budget . Seed Innovations need to be encouraged and promoted in the sector as seeds are and would continue to be a critical part of the strategy to double farmers ’ income through improved agricultural productivity . We trust that there would be increased policy support for Research and Innovation in Seeds soon ,” he said .
“ It is reassuring that the revision of the Drugs & Cosmetics Act and the Medical Devices Rules have found a mention in the Budget . We hope , however , these revisions will be implemented at the soonest and that a strong patient-centric regulatory system is soon in place towards the end objective of ensuring more accessible and affordable drugs and devices for our population and better healthcare for all . A more predictable regulatory environment will also create greater confidence amongst global stakeholders in doing business in India ,” stated Mr Naz Haji , SVP and Managing Director , R & D Solutions , QuintilesIMS India .
Mr Rajiv Nath , Forum Coordinator , Association of Indian Medical Device Industry ( AiMeD ) in his post budget comments stated , “ It is heartening to note the commitment from the Finance Minister in this budget regarding ‘ regulations for medical devices in the country .’ However , the statement is too open-ended and the fine print notification spelled out does not seemingly have any details on duty changes etc . He added further , “ We do hope the coming road map will be in sync with the Government ’ s larger commitment of ‘ Make in India ’ i . e to develop manufacturing ecosystem for the medical devices in the country , boosting domestic industry while ensuring the healthcare security of the nation which implies that cost of medical devices need to be lowered .”
As per Mr Pavan Choudary , Director General , Medical Technology Association of India ( MTaI ),” The FM ’ s acknowledgement that the Medical Device rules will be globally harmonised and that this would facilitate investments in this sector is a reflection of the growing understanding of the international interconnectedness of this sector and the importance of global technology & investment infusion .”
Dr Dharminder Nagar , MD , Paras Healthcare feels that the budget has been good for healthcare , He says , “ The most notable announcement on the healthcare front in the Budget has been that of two new AIIMS for Jharkhand and Gujarat . Given the need for expanding the reach of public healthcare , we need an AIIMS in every state . This will also help enhance medical education in the country . So , this is a welcome step and we hope it is taken up on priority by the Ministry of Health . Another important element is the pledge to eliminate tuberculosis by 2020 . India has the highest burden of tuberculosis , a disease which has been successfully eliminated from a large part of the world . While 2020 seems an ambitious target , it is a highly imperative one for our country .”
While analyzing the budget in the critical way , Mr Piruz Khambatta , Chairman , CII-National Committee on Food Processing , mentioned , “ After the big earth quake of demonetization drive budget was expected to be tsunami of reforms , especially to boost private sector investments , manufacturing and job creation , but unfortunately this has not happened and those big bang reforms which were expected have not come in . This would not help overall private investments and job creation . More importantly exports which have been stagnant for many years will also not get any major boost in this budget .”
BIOVOICENEWS . COM 21