Union Minister of Chemicals & Fertilizers and Health & Family Welfare Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda chaired the CEO Roundtable on the second day of India Medical Device 2026, organized by the Department of Pharmaceuticals in association with FICCI at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The roundtable brought together senior policymakers and leaders of the medical device industry to deliberate on the future of India's MedTech sector, with participation from over 40 CEOs of global and domestic MedTech companies and MSMEs.
Key government officials in attendance included Shri Manoj Joshi (Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals), Dr. M Srinivas (Member, NITI Aayog), Dr. Rajiv Bahl (Secretary, Department of Health Research & Director General, ICMR), Smt. Punya Salila Srivastava (Secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare), Shri Amardeep Singh Bhatia (Secretary, DPIIT), and Shri Sunil Kumar Barnwal (CEO, National Health Authority). Industry representation included Shri Anant Swarup (Secretary General, FICCI), Shri Tushar Sharma (Chair, FICCI Medical Devices Committee), Shri Himanshu Baid (Co-Chair), and Shri Bharath Sesha (Co-Chair).
The roundtable focused on strengthening India's medical device ecosystem, promoting innovation and investment, enhancing domestic manufacturing capabilities, and enabling Indian medical device companies to expand their global footprint. In a separate session on "Reimbursement Mechanisms for Innovative Therapies in India's Path to Universal Health Coverage," Dr. Rajiv Bahl emphasized the critical importance of evidence-based decision-making, stating that medical innovations should translate into affordable, accessible, and sustainable healthcare.
Dr. Bahl stressed that robust clinical evidence should underpin regulatory, reimbursement, and procurement decisions, noting that evidence-based approaches are essential to ensure innovative technologies demonstrate their clinical value and contribute meaningfully to improved patient outcomes. He emphasized that high-quality evidence on clinical effectiveness is essential for meaningful cost-effectiveness and health-economic assessment, cautioning that seeking exemptions from evidence generation may make it difficult for technologies to establish their value before Health Technology Assessment, reimbursement, and procurement authorities.
Participants highlighted the need for a framework that can support the adoption of new medical technologies while ensuring healthcare resources are utilized effectively. The session underscored that wider adoption of innovative medical technologies in India will require credible clinical evidence, transparent HTA processes, realistic pricing, sustainable reimbursement mechanisms, greater clinician participation, and stronger training systems. The discussion focused on developing a reimbursement ecosystem that balances access to innovative technologies with affordability and fiscal sustainability.