National Medical Devices Policy: Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya announced on Wednesday that the Union Cabinet has approved the National Medical Devices Policy. Alongwith it, the minister said that the Cabinet has also approved opening of 157 new govt medical nursing colleges in the country. For this purpose, a corpus of Rs 1,570 crore has been approved and the target is set to be completed in the next 24 months.

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The minister informed that the Cabinet has approved the policy for the Medical Devices Sector which is expected to help the sector grow from present $11 billion to $50 billion in the next five years. Under the policy, six strategies have been planned to tap the potential of the sector, with the implementation of the action plan.

Further, he added that for establishing each new nursing college, financial assistance of Rs 10 crore would be provided in co-location with existing medical colleges.  

He said that since coming to power in 2014, the Central Government has opened 157 medical colleges in four phases in the country. And the new nursing colleges will come up in association with these medical colleges. The government has said that the initiative is expected to provide better clinical exposure to nursing students and will also result in better care and service provision for patients in medical colleges.

The official release stated that the step will add approximately 15,700 nursing graduates every year, which will help ensure quality, affordable, and equitable nursing education in India, particularly in underserved districts and States/Union Territories.

In order to complete the project in two years, the Government has laid out detailed timelines for every stage of planning as well as execution. The Empowered Committee headed by the Union Health Secretary in the Centre and Principal Secretary, Health/Medical Education in the states will monitor the progress of the work, and the state governments and UTs will intimate the physical progress of the works being done for the establishment of new nursing colleges to the health ministry on a regular basis.