An industry growing at double-digit rates, a population of 1.4 billion people and a surge in investments due to proactive and favourable investment policies. India should be the destination of choice for ambitious global healthcare business.

The Indian healthcare industry has been growing at double-digit rates and has evolved significantly in the last decade. However, a number of challenges need to be addressed in providing access to quality, affordable healthcare in the country, before it can match the health indicators of even the BRICs countries. The total healthcare expenditure in India was only 3.9% of GDP, compared to 8.9% for Brazil, 6.2% for Russia and 5.2% for China. Out-of-pocket expenditure is as high as 61%, with only 25% of the population being covered by health insurance.

Specifically, while medical device companies have focused largely on extending life expectancy and improving quality of care, there is a need to increase affordability for a widespread impact. The challenge therefore for companies in India is to produce medical devices that are both cost competitive and effective to increase penetration and use. It is in this context that the Make in India initiative becomes significant for the medical devices industry.