Hyderabad: Eighty per cent of the surgical medical devices like scissors, cutters, sharp instruments, fine needles, forceps, arhtoscopes, laryngoscopes and other materials are procured from Sialkot in Pakistan by the healthcare industry in India which is 60 per cent cheaper when compared to European market.
With the Pulwama attack the Association of Indian Medical Device Industry (AIMed) has represented to the department of pharmaceuticals and the department of industrial policy and promotion to opt for measures for indigenous development and stop the imports from Pakistan.
The AIMed wants the government to boost the domestic manufacturing of surgical instruments and it can happen only if the imports are stopped. With these products being cheap in Pakistan, the healthcare industry in India, Europe, the United States and even China take buy them from Pakistan.
Dr Narsinga Reddy, senior Indian Medical Association member in Hyderabad, explained, “The Indian healthcare industry has been procuring a lot of surgical instruments from Sialkot. They are present in the trade fairs and their materials are of good quality and also cheaper. The Chinese manufacturers are competing with the Pakist-ani manufacturers in Sialkot in cheaper pricing. The European surgical instruments, however, are costliest as they are made using the latest machines and technology.”
The medical devices from Sialkot are used most in ears and eyes surgeries as the fine instruments used in these two categories are manufactured there.
Due to the low prices of these fine instruments in these two sectors, the manufacturing units in Germany faced tough competition and they too are sourcing their products from Sialkot only explained medical device importers in the city.
There are over 10,000 different medical devices which are produced by 3,000 manufacturers in Sialkot region. The Indian surgical industry market has picked up since 2010. But the recent developments has got the manufacturers to raise their demand for boosting the make in India products once again.
A medical device distributor in the city on condition of anonymity explained, “For the Indian industry to compete in this price sensitive scenario, the government funding and also research and development will be required. This would require funds and facilities to be created. Earlier in Punjab and West Bengal there were industries which took up the works but the competition made them import from Pakistan and change the labels to service the Indian industry. The price is the key to survive in the market.”
