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“The Central government has expeditiously moved through the Department of Pharmaceuticals Secretary as well as through the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority and the Health Ministry to underscore the exemption of medical devices and equipment manufacturing, warehousing and distribution from the lockdown,” MTaI Chairman Pavan Choudary said in a statement.
The Centre is a disseminator of directives, however, the implementation rests with state governments and local level administrators, he added.
“The latter it seems have not understood that this 21-day lockdown is to prepare the hospitals and are clamping down manufacturing, warehousing, distribution, of medical devices and equipment”, Choudary said.
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These companies are fully compliant with the lockdown but without their manufacturing units, warehouses, transporters and courier companies working, this closure will do nothing for the preparation of hospitals and healthcare system which it is meant for, Choudary said.
MTaI would like to reiterate that in the absence of a vaccine or proven drug, it is the medical devices industry that is shouldering the war against COVID-19, he added.
“We appeal the state government and local level administrators that medical devices supply chain be immediately resuscitated by issuing e-passes and facilitating medical devices movement between cargo-manufacturer-warehouse-distributor-hospital,” Choudary said.