Centre setting up three bulk drug parks to boost MedTech sector
Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare and Chemicals & Fertilizers, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya virtually inaugurated the permanent campus of National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) in Guwahati, while also laying the foundation stone of NIPER Hyderabad and NIPER Raebareli.
Giving a major boost to the healthcare infrastructure in the Northeast, Dr Mandaviya also dedicated 5 new facilities in the Regional Institute of Paramedical and Nursing Science (RIPANS) in Aizawl, Mizoram, besides laying the foundation stone for over 80 units of health infrastructure in 7 Northeastern States including Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura under the Pradhan Mantri – Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM), Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) and the National Health Mission (NHM).
Nagaland got two healthcare infrastructures in Dimapur and Mon districts.
The 5 new facilities in RIPANS include a 100-bedded hospital, Guest House, Staff and Nurses Quarters and General Hostel Block. Foundation stone laid for health infrastructure in the 7 Northeast States include Critical Care Blocks (10 units), Integrated Public Health Laboratories (37 units), Block Public Health Units (1 unit) and Ayushman Arogya Mandir (1). The upgradation of Assam Medical College under PMSSY includes the addition of a 265-bedded Super Speciality Block and 64 ICU beds and 12 Dialysis beds.
Elated by the inauguration and foundation stone laying of 3 NIPERs, Dr Mandaviya said as per the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, NIPERs are on the path of a self-reliant India in the pharmaceutical and MedTech sector by becoming a bridge connecting knowledge, education, research and business.
He further said, “NIPER has become a big name in the field of technical and higher education across the nation with about 8,000 students having graduated and becoming successful in the professional field. NIPER also has more than 380 patents registered in its name.”
The Union Health Minister highlighted the vision for NIPERs to make a significant contribution to promoting overall human health and well-being in the field of medicine, extending its impact not only nationally but also globally.
He said that NIPER, Guwahati, which is spread across many buildings, including around 10 centres of excellence on about 60 acres of land, with a total project cost of Rs. 157 crores, stands as a testament to the Government’s unwavering dedication to a progressive Northeast and unified nation. He also stated that “NIPERs will integrate our research, training and manpower creation, which will enable us to provide a sustainable place for our Pharma Industry at the global level.”
On the priority given by the Union Government to the development of the Northeast, Dr Mandaviya said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi showed his commitment towards the Northeast as soon as he assumed power when he said that he will work day and night for the people of North East with the mantra of ‘Act East’ and not ‘Look East’.
The Prime Minister brought an ideological change when he termed the remotest village of the country as the first village of the country, he said adding due to this difference in thinking, this sector started getting first priority.
He also highlighted the work done in these areas through schemes like Vibrant Village for the villages in North East and Himalayan regions.
Noting that there was a lack of education, health, connectivity and employment in the Northeast, he said said that the Union Government has continuously worked on all these aspects.
“If we talk about health services, by developing institutions like RIMS, RIPANS, NEIGRIHMS and AIIMS Guwahati, opportunities for education, health and employment are being created here, for which earlier people used to migrate from these areas”.
Under the comprehensive initiative of Pradhan Mantri – Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) and NHM, significant strides have been made in advancing healthcare infrastructure in the Northeast, he said and highlighted about the different healthcare projects in the Northeast.
“The health facilities that have been created in the 7 States of North East will provide treatment to the people and training and employment to the youth as well as open new doors of progress in these areas”, Dr Mandaviya said.
He also lauded Assam for preparing a grid of Cancer Treatment Centers with the help of Tata Memorial Institute along with 14 other cancer institutes, due to which the entire North East is facing huge benefits.
Minister of State, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers & New and Renewable Energy, Bhagwanth Khuba highlighted that these new initiatives were in line with Prime Minister’s vision of “Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas”.
He said the Union Government has given a lot of importance to the health sector in India. He added that NIPERs have contributed to creating a skilled workforce with more than 8000 studentspassed out since inception. “This pool of skilled manpower will stand as a driving force behind the sector’s growth and development”, he stated.
The Union Minister also emphasized on the efforts being undertaken to strengthen India’s dominance in the pharmaceutical sector and reduce its dependence on imported APIs and medical devices. He informed that 3 bulk drug parks are being created in the country and spoke about the launch of the PLI scheme of the Union Government in the pharma and MedTech sector.
Speaking at the inauguration of the new campus of National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) at Changsari, Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma said the emotional connection of the Northeast with the rest of the country that has been established under the Modi Government has enthused the people of the region to further contribute to nation building.
“Be in it healthcare indicators or manpower for the pharmaceutical sector, Assam is in line with the vision of the Prime Minister and we are committed to making our contribution to the development of the country”, he said.
He said the inauguration of the permanent campus of NIPER is an important landmark in boosting the healthcare scenario in the State.
Sarma said that NIPER-Guwahati, which had started functioning from the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital premises in 2008, has now got its permanent campus in a location close to AIIMS-Guwahati and IIT-Guwahati.
Chief Minister of Tripura, Prof. Manik Saha highlighted the importance of healthcare infrastructure in Northeast region and reiterated the Modi Government’s strong commitment to advancing research and innovation in the pharmaceutical and medical technology sectors.
The newly inaugurated infrastructure, he emphasized, will play a pivotal role in catalyzing these advancements, adding substantial value not only to the people of the Northeast region but to the entire nation.
In Dimapur, Nagaland Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Paiwang Konyak highlighted about PM-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) and said that the key objective of the PM-ABHIM is to develop a Public Health System to meet the needs of future pandemics by integrating essential public health functions and service delivery with the objective to strengthen the grassroots public health institutions in rural and urban areas and to deliver universal comprehensive primary health care.
Konyak also highlighted about Integrated Public Health Laboratories (IPHL), which he said plays a key role in early detection of disease, surveillance, monitoring of therapy as well as supportive laboratory parameters including haematology, clinical biochemistry and clinical pathology.
He informed that the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme through PM-ABHIM has allocated and approved 11 IPHLs for 11 District Hospitals (excluding Noklak) and 1 Critical Care Unit (CCU) to be set up at District Hospital Dimapur during Financial Year 2025-26 for Nagaland State, over the period of 5 years from 2021-22 to 2025-26. PNS
