The Indian Medical Parliamentarians’ Forum (IMPF) recently organized a significant National Policy Summit on MedTech Access in Vapi, Gujarat. Held at Meril Academy on September 22, 2026, the summit's theme, “Swasth Bharat Se Saksham Bharat | Reimagining MedTech Access in India,” brought together a diverse group of stakeholders, including Members of Parliament, senior government officials, healthcare institution representatives, clinical experts, and industry leaders.
Chaired by Dr. Anil Sukhdeorao Bonde, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, and Chairperson of IMPF, the summit aimed to deliberate on strategies to strengthen India’s medical technology ecosystem. A key objective was to expand access to quality, advanced, and affordable healthcare technologies across the nation.
Building a Competitive MedTech Ecosystem
The event featured two pivotal panel discussions. The first panel, titled “Building a Sustainable and Globally Competitive MedTech Ecosystem,” explored the essential elements needed to foster indigenous medical technology development and ensure India’s global competitiveness. Discussions spanned critical areas such as research and innovation, robust regulatory and quality frameworks, effective industry-academia collaboration, enhancement of domestic manufacturing capabilities, and resilience in supply chains. The panel also addressed clinical requirements and the broader ecosystem necessary to support Indian MedTech companies in meeting both domestic and international healthcare demands.
Shri Manoj Kumar Joshi, Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, emphasized the need for a strong ecosystem built on quality, evidence, and credibility for India to achieve self-reliance in medical devices. He highlighted the importance of evolving regulatory systems to meet global standards and strengthening domestic supply chains and engineering capabilities.
Expanding Access to Quality Care Through Innovation
The second panel, “Expanding Access to Quality Care through MedTech Innovation,” focused on the crucial transition of medical technology from innovation to tangible patient access. Topics included clinical evidence, health technology assessment, financing and reimbursement models, technology adoption challenges, and the development of healthcare workforce capabilities to integrate advanced technologies across various levels of the health system.
Dr. Anil Sukhdeorao Bonde underscored that “Innovation without access has limited impact, and access without evidence cannot be sustained.” He advocated for stronger indigenous research, credible clinical evidence, appropriate health technology assessment, and sustainable reimbursement mechanisms to build a globally competitive MedTech ecosystem in India.
Dr. Prashant P. Joshi from AIIMS Nagpur highlighted the role of medical institutions in identifying unmet clinical needs and collaborating with engineers and innovators to develop solutions. Dr. Gaurav Shanker Pradhan emphasized that effective technology adoption requires competency-based training for healthcare professionals, moving beyond a mere equipment-centric approach.
Dr. Shailesh Kumar Yadav, IAS, Joint Director, National Health Authority, stressed the importance of linking innovation with sustainable financing and reimbursement pathways, particularly under initiatives like Ayushman Bharat. Dr. Neha Dumka added that innovation must be assessed for ease of use, cost-effectiveness, scalability, and sustainability within the health system, especially in primary healthcare.
Dr. Jashvantsinh Parmar spoke on identifying bottlenecks and strengthening grassroots healthcare professionals' capabilities. Dr. Shivaji Kalge highlighted the potential of Indian medical device companies to develop international-standard technologies that remain affordable, potentially improving global access to quality healthcare.
The summit concluded with a consensus on the need for a coordinated approach involving indigenous innovation, evidence generation, regulatory quality, clinical education, health technology assessment, financing, reimbursement, and institutional adoption. The deliberations particularly stressed connecting MedTech innovation with the practical needs of healthcare providers and patients, especially in underserved regions.