Disclaimer: This episode was recorded just before the ICIJ-Indian Express global investigation #ImplantFiles was breaking. We will take a deep dive into the story and the revelations in a future episode.
In last one year, we have witnessed 290 children die in BRD Medical College Hospital in Gorakhpur due to disrupted oxygen supply, the courts coming down on the government and Health Ministry and ordering to regulate price of cardiac stents and the now developing story of Johnson and Johnson’s leaky hip implants. All these stories have health technologies at the heart of it. In this interview, Biraj Swain, Senior Fellow-Kalam Institute of Health Technology talks to Dr Jitendar Sharma-CEO Andhra Med Tech Zone on why we, our youth should care about health tech, when they are already on top of tech.
They also discuss the major stories of last one year. They discuss the reasons why India has an abysmal health equipment density, even compared to South Asia and China. Dr Sharma shares, why India needs to graduate to become a standards’ setter in the field of health technology. Currently, in spite of all the advances India continues to receive standards from Western Europe and North America.
They discuss the regulation, transparency and patients’ access to information too. Did you know most implants do not come with any MRP?
They also discuss the upcoming WHO Conference on Medical Devices which will be organised in Vishakhapatnam, first time out of Geneva. What is there for India, Indian healthcare system, how is the WHO safe-guarding the event from private sector influence and what should the young and restless look out for in the conference. Not just in the conference but in the space of health technologies and innovations.
