India should become self-reliant in medical equipment, devices: Kasturirangan

Bengaluru: India needs to come out with a policy to make the country self-reliant in the field of medical equipment and devices drawing lessons from the battle against the COVID-19, eminent scientist K Kasturirangan said on Friday.

The former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) lamented that the country was not producing even ten per cent of the medical equipment and devices it needed at any point in time.

"These are not technologies which are so difficult that we cannot do. Simply because others are willing to come and sell us at attractive price-wise, we seem to have taken a policy where you choose the best of the system available, at best (lowest) cost," Kasturirangan told PTI.

In the process of efforts to contain the coronavirus spread, India has learnt it needed to have a level of self- reliance in this area, he said.

"It's not the question of getting it from outside, but there are areas in which we need to have level self-reliance and I am sure the government is very much seized of this, they know what exactly they have gone through in the recent period," said Kasturirangan, who was a member of the now-defunct Planning Commission.

He is confident that the government would consider framing a policy where "we become more and more self-reliant in the area of medical devices, medical equipment, and other kinds of requirements that are applicable for healthcare-related issues."

Speaking about the COVID-19 containment measures, the scientist said: Things are moving by God's grace; we should certainly move towards better times now with India's efforts which have been very, very laudable; not only India, the world has appreciated it".

He said it's a creditable performance that India was able to keep the coronavirus spread within limits in a complex and plural society and there is no alarming situation. 

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