Hospitals With 'Made-In-India' Diagnostics, Devices To Open In Next 5 Years: AMTZ Chief

India will soon have hospitals fully equipped with ‘made-in-India’ diagnostics and devices, ranging from thermometers, syringes, and masks to ventilators, hospital beds, CT scanners, and MRI machines.

Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone (AMTZ), the world’s largest integrated medical technology manufacturing cluster, is taking a bold step into healthcare delivery. In the next five years, the 8-km campus in Visakhapatnam — housing 164 companies — plans to open 100 hospitals across India, from Nagpur to Guwahati, all relying solely on Indian-made devices and diagnostics.

“From thermometers and oximeters to MRI machines and cath labs, everything inside these hospitals will be Indian-made," said Dr Jitender Sharma, managing director and founder chief executive officer of AMTZ told News18. “It will change the perception of made-in-India medical devices and help us gain the trust of global regulators and consumers."

Sharma said the first such hospital has already been launched in Nagpur, with upcoming centres in Visakhapatnam, Hyderabad, Vadodara, Jammu and Guwahati. This initiative will collectively add 15,000 to 20,000 beds to India’s healthcare capacity, in partnerships with both public and private operators.

The AMTZ has also inaugurated India’s first fully indigenous radiology lab in Uttar Pradesh, reducing the cost of MRI machines from Rs 6 crore (imported) to Rs 2.8 crore (domestic machine).

BREAKING IMPORT DEPENDENCE

When AMTZ was established in January 2018, India was 95 percent import-dependent in medical technology.

“That figure is now down to 63%, with self-sufficiency achieved in diagnostics and reagents, while high-end electronics and radiology remain import-heavy. Our revenue has grown from Rs 10,001 in 2018 to nearly Rs 50,000 crore today, making AMTZ a $2 billion cluster," Sharma said. “By 2032, India will be an import-neutral country in medical technology."

Looking ahead, Sharma said he sees India’s medtech journey entering a “golden chapter" driven by material science and digital health.

“New materials like graphene will make machines lighter and more accurate, while cancer diagnostics, bio-organs created from cellular material, and telesurgery using robotics will become more prominent," he said. “Our vision is that by 2030, at least 50% of Indian hospitals should be using 50% of devices made at AMTZ."

At present, exports flow to central Asia, the Middle East, southeast Asia, and parts of Europe with future plans to expand to Australia, Latin America, and Russia. However, entry into the US and EU markets is still limited by regulatory barriers, including FDA and CE approvals.

“That’s why we have built every lab required for global certification here in India, so we can speed up approvals and reduce costs for our manufacturers," he said.

COVID TO CLUSTER POWERHOUSE

The AMTZ first gained national attention during the Covid-19 pandemic when it rapidly increased the production of essential devices.

“Within 15 days of the launch of imported RT-PCR kits priced at Rs 4,000, we launched homegrown kits at Rs 650," said Sharma, who is also the executive director of Kalam Institute of Health Technology (KIHT).

“At the peak, India consumed 12 lakh RT-PCR kits daily, of which 10 lakhs were produced at AMTZ," he said. “In the nation’s battle against the pandemic, we contributed by producing over 100 ventilators and 500 oxygen concentrators every day. Many innovations from the zone, such as mobile container hospitals, mobile RT-PCR vehicles, and mobile oxygen plants, were sent even to the remotest parts of the country."

This swift response was possible because AMTZ hosts a suite of 22 state-of-the-art laboratories, covering everything from electromagnetic interference to laser testing, biocompatibility, and even a WHO-collaborating centre.

“Earlier, companies had to send products for testing to labs in Germany, Japan, or Singapore, which took six months and cost Rs 25 lakh. With our labs, the same testing takes three weeks and under Rs 5 lakh," he added.