Healthcare has become more focused on innovation and technology over the past two years and 80 per cent of healthcare systems are aiming to increase their investment in digital healthcare tools in coming five years, Union minister Jitendra Singh said.
Addressing the 14th CII Global MedTech Summit titled "Seizing the Global Opportunity", he said telemedicine is also expected to reach USD 5.5 billion by 2025.
Sanjeevani, a Ministry of Health & Family Welfare conceived technical intervention, has enabled virtual doctor consultations and connected thousands of people living in remote parts of the country with doctors in major cities while sitting in the comfort of their own homes, he added.
He said under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, healthcare has become more focused on innovation and technology over the past two years and 80 per cent of healthcare systems are aiming to increase their investment in digital healthcare tools in the coming five years.
Singh said the government's prime objective is to reduce import dependence from 80 per cent to below 30 per cent in next 10 years and ensure self-reliance quotient of 80 per cent in Med-Tech through Make in India with SMART milestones.
The government has undertaken structural and sustained reforms to strengthen the healthcare sector and has also announced conducive policies for encouraging FDI, he said.
This has led to a change in trend, with the country becoming a hotbed of MedTech innovation and instead of adopting western products, Indian innovators are developing path breaking MedTech products and solutions. India has reached an inflection point, which is leading to rapid expansion of the healthTech and medTech ecosystem, he said.
(With PTI Inputs)
