New Delhi

The Association of Indian Medical Device Industry (AiMeD) has appealed to the government to raise customs duties on medical devices to a nominal 10-15%. In its pre-budget memorandum submitted to key officials including Union Health and Family Welfare Minister JP Nadda and various secretaries, AiMeD emphasized that increasing the current 7.5% duty would create a more balanced trade environment. This move aims to boost domestic manufacturing and reduce the current heavy reliance on imports, which constitute 70% of the sector.

Rajiv Nath, Forum Coordinator at AiMeD, highlighted concerns about medical device imports exceeding Rs 61,000 crore annually for the past three years, rising to Rs 69,000 crore this year—a 13% increase. AiMeD also flagged the issue of inverted duty structure and proposed a 5% health cess on remaining medical devices to harmonize duty structures and support local manufacturers.

AiMeD further stressed the need for capping trade margins to regulate Maximum Retail Prices (MRP) of imports, aiming to make medical devices more affordable and accessible in India. This, according to Nath, would benefit public health by tackling inflated MRPs, which impact consumers more than import duty protections.