Chennai:Duty-free imports of ventilators will make the prospective manufacturers like the automotive companies, start-ups and others to have a rethink on their investment plans while snuffing out innovation, a top medical device industry official said on Friday.
A price cap on ventilators, masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE) during the Covid-19 pandemic will be more beneficial to the people than an import duty cut, Rajiv Nath, Forum Coordinator, Association of Indian Medical Device Industry (AiMeD) told IANS.
"The coronavirus pandemic has made many engineers to look at designing ventilators. Similarly, several automotive companies and others too announced their interests in getting into the sector. The Central government's decision to cut the import duty will have an impact on innovation and investments," he said.
On Thursday, the Central government allowed duty free imports of various medical items like ventilators, face masks, surgical masks, PPE, Covid-19 test kits and all inputs that go into the manufacturing of these devices.
Nath said manufacturers - old and proposed- will import the items and market them under their own brand while the government's Make in India plan continue to remain on paper.
Read more:Govt removes customs duty, health cess on ventilators, COVID-19 test kits till Sept 30