Cabinet approves National Medical Devices Policy, establishment of 157 govt nursing colleges

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved National Medical Devices Policy with an aim to increase domestic production and reduce imports of such equipment.

Briefing the media after the Cabinet meeting, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said it will promote domestic production of medical devices.

Last year, the government floated an approach paper on the draft national medical devices policy 2022 for consultation.

The policy is expected to help the medical devices sector grow from the present $11 billion to $50 billion in the next five years.

The government has already initiated implementation of the PLI Scheme for medical devices and extended support for setting up of 4 medical device parks in Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh.

Under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for medical devices, till now, a total of 26 projects have been approved with a committed investment of Rs 1,206 crore and out of this, so far, an investment of Rs 714 crore has been achieved.

Cabinet approves establishment of 157 nursing colleges

The Cabinet also approved the establishment of 157 nursing colleges at a cost of Rs 1,570 crore in co-location with existing medical colleges.

Mandaviya said the aim is to provide quality, affordable and equitable nursing education in the country and enhance the number of nursing professionals.

Co-location of these nursing colleges with medical colleges will allow optimal utilisation of the existing infrastructure, skill labs, clinical facilities and faculty.

The government plans to complete the project within two years with detailed timelines laid out for every stage of planning as well as execution.

Tribute for police personnel killed in Naxal attack

Apart from this, the Cabinet also paid tribute to police personnel killed in an IED blast in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district, Union minister Anurag Thakur said.

The Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, also passed a resolution condoling the death of former Punjab chief minister and Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch Parkash Singh Badal who died on Tuesday, Thakur told reporters.

Ten policemen were killed when their vehicle was blown up by an improvised explosive device (IED) in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh on Wednesday.

95-year-old Badal died at a private hospital in Punjab’s Mohali on Tuesday evening. He was admitted to the hospital a few days ago with breathing problems.

With inputs from PTI

Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,
India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.