Govt to open Medical Park near Chennai

NEW DELHI: The government will soon launch its first "Medical Park" near Chennai to enable domestic health industry to manufacture medical equipment on a large scale.

Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Anbumani Ramadoss on Friday said the 200-acre Medical Park will be one of the many the Health Ministry is planning in the country.

"We are soon starting the first public Medical Park in Chinglepet, 40 km away from Chennai. It will be a vaccine and medical devices park," he told reporters at the launch of a joint venture between Trivitron, a Chennai-based medical equipment company, and Japan's Aloka for manufacturing high technology ultrasound equipment in India.

The Minister said currently, only 10 per cent of health-related equipment are produced by domestic industry and 90 per cent are imported.

"When these Parks will be set up, the domestic industry will be able to manufacture products catering to the Indian population," he added.

Talking about the joint venture, he said such moves will help bring down the cost of treatment.

Ramadoss said he has requested the Finance and Commerce Ministries to provide subsidy for setting up such parks.

"I want Indian and global companies to come together to come out with medical equipments and devices which will be first used in India and if they manufactured in excess could be exported, a policy followed successfully in China," he said.