AHMEDABAD: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Saturday that India has made significant progress in manufacturing active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in the last one and a half years. Under the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for the pharmaceutical sector, India has successfully started producing 38 APIs that it previously relied on imports for. This move is a part of India's efforts to become self-reliant and reduce dependency on other countries for critical pharmaceutical components.

The motivation behind this initiative was triggered by the 2017 border standoff with China at Doklam, which made India rethink its self-reliance strategy regarding APIs. Before the initiative, India was heavily reliant on one country for 95% of its API imports, leaving it vulnerable to supply chain disruptions.

The PLI scheme, with an investment of Rs 15,000 crores, aimed to reduce the need to import 54 APIs from foreign sources, making domestic production a priority. As a result, India has now achieved success in manufacturing 38 APIs domestically, showcasing a significant step towards an "Atmanirbhar Bharat" (self-reliant India).

The health also minister highlighted the government's efforts to improve healthcare accessibility and affordability in rural areas. Over the last nine years, the number of MBBS seats has increased from 52,000 to 1,07,000, and 54 new medical colleges have been approved this year.

The COVID-19 pandemic served as a catalyst for rethinking and revitalizing the healthcare sector. The minister emphasized the importance of research and innovation (R&D) for achieving self-reliance. Encouraging private domestic pharmaceutical companies to invest more in R&D has been one of the government's strategies to foster innovation and meet the country's healthcare needs.

The Healthcare Summit, organized by the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) and its Centre of Management of Health Services (CMHS) and IIMA Healthcare Alumni Special Interest Group (SIG), featured panel discussions and a competition for healthcare start-ups, focusing on crucial aspects of healthcare innovation. The summit aimed to bring together stakeholders to discuss and advance healthcare development in India.