DST to set up 15 diagnostic labs with satellite connectivity

New Delhi, Dec 8 (UNI) The Department of Science and Technology (DST) proposes to establish an Indian Institute of Diagnostics and locate 15 new diagnostic labs at primary health centres having satellite connectivity with major hospitals in urban centres.

It has also prepared a draft legislation on the regulatory framework for the manufacture of medical devices in the country to reach quality health care at affordable prices to the poor.

This was announced by the Minister of Science and Technology Kapil Sibal while inaugurating the two-day FICCI International Conference on Medical Electronics here today.

Mr Sibal said, ''There is no health care system and hardly any health care insurance in India. The real challenge before the nation is to reach out to the people who cannot afford the treatment available in city hospitals.'' With this in view the Ministry had decided to set up 15 clinical laboratories in north India in the next two years at a cost of Rs 10 lakh per lab.

He said the country depends on imported medical equipment, which is costly and thus cannot be supplied to primary health centres. The government had therefore decided to encourage the manufacture of medical devices within the country, for which the enabling legislative framework will be sent to the Health Ministry in a few weeks.

The Minister hoped that this legislation would be approved by Parliament ''in a couple of sessions.'' He advised medical equipment manufacturing companies to move to countries where they can make medical devices at the lowest cost.

IT companies, he said, should go to markets where the embedded technologies can be integrated into medical devices.

India, with its, high quality and cheaper human resources should naturally figure high on the radar of such companies, he noted.

Dr Amit Mitra, Secretary General, FICCI said that a FICCI Forum of Medical Electronics would be inaugurated at the conclusion of the two-day conference in a bid to facilitate the development of medical electronics in India.

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