Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh lauded the World Health Organization (WHO) for signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with India to advance the production of medical devices. The formal announcement of the agreement was made today at the Indian National Science Academy (INSA), New Delhi.
Describing the MoU between the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Science and Technology (SCTIMST), under the Department of Science & Technology, and WHO as a significant milestone, Dr. Jitendra Singh expressed his appreciation for WHO’s humanitarian efforts in India. He highlighted the WHO’s Health Technology Access Pool (HTAP), formerly known as the Covid Technology Access Pool (CTAP), as a key initiative that provides access to vital health technologies for countries worldwide. Dr. Singh emphasized that the Ministry of Science and Technology is honored to be part of this collaboration, which allows SCTIMST and the Department of Science and Technology to partner with global entrepreneurs, license technologies, and generate revenue through royalties.
Reflecting on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-reliant India) during the challenging COVID-19 period in 2020, Dr. Jitendra Singh acknowledged the importance of not only producing indigenous medical devices but also scaling up production to meet demand. He stressed that this partnership promotes local manufacturing and reduces dependence on imports, thereby bolstering India’s position as a leader in healthcare innovation. It also contributes to the development of a highly skilled workforce, enhancing the nation’s manufacturing capabilities.
The Minister highlighted India’s world-class facilities in areas such as in-vitro testing, genomics, precision medicine, and vaccine production, noting that the technology developed by SCTIMST is part of a rapidly growing ecosystem in medical diagnostics. He expressed confidence that the collaboration with WHO would lead to further technological advancements and innovations, fostering international partnerships to strengthen India’s medical, diagnostic, and therapeutic infrastructure, thereby staying ahead in the fight against global diseases and future pandemics.
Dr. Jitendra Singh also paid tribute to the pioneering efforts of the late Padma Vibhushan awardee Prof. M.S. Valiathan, the founding Director of SCTIMST, whose visionary leadership laid the foundation for the institute’s outstanding contributions to biomedical technology development.
The event was attended by Dr. V.K. Saraswat, Member of NITI Aayog and President of SCTIMST, Dr. A. Karandikar, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Dr. Rogério Paulo Pinto de Sá Gaspar, Officiating Additional Director General and Director, Department of Regulation and Prequalification WHO, Geneva, Dr. Roderico H. Ofrin, WHO Representative in India, Dr. Manisha Shridhar, Regional Advisor to South East Asia Regional Office, WHO, Dr. Sanjay Behari, Director, SCTIMST, and other distinguished members from INSA, DST, ICMR, DBT, and WHO.
In conclusion, Dr. Jitendra Singh reiterated that this partnership strengthens India’s leadership in healthcare innovation, particularly in “Technology for Medical Diagnosis.” He expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Modi for his unwavering support, crediting the transformational changes witnessed in public healthcare over the past decade to the “Whole of Government and Whole of Science” approach championed under PM Modi’s leadership.
