Thiruvananthapuram: Chief minister V D Satheesan said the govt will extend support for setting up new medical device parks and enterprises as the sector holds immense growth potential for the state. Inaugurating the Kerala medical device industry association (KMDIA), the chief minister said rapid technological advances in healthcare were opening up major opportunities for the medical device industry.Technologies ranging from artificial intelligence to nanotechnology were transforming diagnosis and treatment, making continuous knowledge and technology upgrades crucial for the industry, he said.The state has already demonstrated its capabilities in medical device manufacturing, with companies of international standards operating from the state, he said and added that the next step should be to expand this strength into new areas and develop products capable of reaching global markets.“Govt was prepared to facilitate new ventures and support the establishment of medical device parks in different parts of Keralam. KMDIA’s decision to bring the industry together would also enable companies to collectively pursue new ideas, technologies and opportunities that could be difficult to develop individually,” Satheesan said.Govt was moving towards a “single door, single document, single approval” system for new industrial projects, with amendments being made to 19 laws, he said.“The objective was to end prolonged delays and ensure approvals within a defined timeframe. An investment promotion council would monitor investment projects and intervene to clear bottlenecks. Medical device manufacturing was particularly suited to the state’s knowledge-based economy and skilled talent pool, and the state should aim for a substantial increase in both investment and the number of enterprises in the sector,” the CM said.Industries minister P K Kunhalikutty, releasing the KMDIA Strategic Roadmap 2026-2031, said the roadmap provided a clear pathway for scaling medical device manufacturing output from the present Rs 6,500-7,500 crore to more than Rs 25,000 crore by 2031.The plan envisages increasing Keralam’s share of India’s medical device production from around 15-18% to more than 25%, while expanding into high-value areas, including active medical electronics, in-vitro diagnostics and orthopaedic implants, he added.The roadmap also proposes a Medical Devices City under a public-private partnership model, with plug-and-play manufacturing facilities, ISO Class 5-8 cleanrooms, accredited quality-control laboratories and shared sterilisation facilities to reduce the heavy initial investment burden on MSMEs and startups.“The roadmap proposes closer industry links with institutions, including SCTIMST, IIT Palakkad, RGCB and NIT Calicut, with a target of facilitating technology transfer and commercialisation of more than 20 clinical patents. It also envisages seeking a specialised NIPER MedTech Centre of Excellence in Keralam, facilitating MSME consortiums to access Central production-linked incentives, strengthening procurement opportunities for products made in Kerala and creating an NRK Global MedTech Advisory Council to connect enterprises with overseas capital, expertise and markets,” Kunhalikutty said.
