India has emerged as one of the leading players in medical textiles, especially during the Covid 19 pandemic, said Union Minister of State (MoS) for Textiles & Railways, Darshana Vikram Jardosh, during the International Conference on Scope and Opportunities in Medical Textiles in Mumbai.
The Ministry of Textiles along with The South India Textile Research Association (SITRA) organized ‘Meditex 2023’ under which various technical sessions including recent advantages and prospects of Medical Textiles, importance of indigenous Medical Textile Products, entrepreneurial pathways in medical textiles, future direction of the sector, and standards, certification, and regulatory requirements.
A volume titled '15 years of Research in Medical Textiles: A Crystal Jubilee Publication (2008–2023)' was also released during the conference.
Jardosh, in her address, emphasized on focusing on innovation, increasing the commercialization of new products and enhancing the access to advancement by collaborating with research organizations, academia, and industries in new technology in the area of medical textiles.
The Minister hailed the country's transformation from a non-producer of COVID-grade Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the world's second-largest producer and exporter of PPEs and N-95 Masks within just six months during the pandemic.
She also highlighted the role of young minds and startups and pitched for their support and strengthening, especially in the medical textiles segment, promoting the Atma Nirbhar Bharat and Vocal for Local vision of the government.
“The Government has been consistently providing policy support through initiatives such as PLI Scheme for Textiles, PM MITRA Parks Scheme, and National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM) for strengthening the textiles and technical textiles ecosystem in India,” Jardosh added.
Rajeev Saxena, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, highlighted the significance of medical textiles due to its direct correlation with quality of life. He stated that there’s a need for repositioning of product focus in medical textiles in terms of global and domestic markets.
He also called for the need for wider innovation and research, and indigenization of the highly-imported medical textile items like sanitary pads, diapers and other surgical sutures.
The Ministry of Textiles is also working with the Central Drug Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) on regulatory aspects of various medical textiles. The Ministry of Textiles will soon be notifying Quality Control Orders (QCOs) for 6 medical textile items including sanitary pads and diapers, among other, he further announced.
The conference witnessed participation from officials and representatives from various Central Ministries, health and medical departments of Central and State Governments, industry leaders, scientific experts, researchers, and professionals in the field of Medical Textiles.
What Is Medical Textile
Medical textile is a non-toxic fiber-based product used for first aid, clinical and surgical treatment of a wound or medical condition.
A perfect blend of textile and technology, medical textiles are used in hospital in form of bed sheets, curtains, surgical masks, gowns, etc. They are also used in operation theaters, even surgical threads, bandages and artificial bones, ligaments, artificial kidneys, livers.
Features of Medical Textiles
By producing over 4 lakh PPE kits and 1.5 crore masks every day during the global outbreak of coronavirus, India rapidly emerged on the world map as a medical textile exporter and secured second position in the world to manufacture medical textiles.
