Medical Device Industry welcomes formation of board

Medical Technology Association of India (MTaI) welcomes the government’s well-considered move in establishing MTAB (Medical Technology Assessment Board) to optimize clinical effectiveness, cost effectiveness, and safety, social, ethical, and legal applications of healthcare interventions.

The first Stakeholder Consultative meeting was called by the Department of Health Research (DHR) today. The consultations were broad-based and wide-ranging, bringing in not only the perspectives of the provider but also of medical technology representatives, health representatives from WHO, representatives from Food and Drug Administration, and Programme Officers.

The project definition is not only limited to products (Intraocular lenses this time) but to the entire pre-, peri- and post- operative procedures and processes. This kind of an approach has a much greater likelihood of truly improving access, and has been successfully applied in Europe, Scandinavia, Asia and Australasia. A product-based approach is often very limiting and ends up increasing other costs eventually, leaving no gains for the patients.

Thailand, United Kingdom, Indonesia and Philippines have done some pioneering work in this area and the government is actively engaging with them to learn from their experiences.