Committed to work with Indian govt to fight COVID-19 pandemic: AdvaMed
As India gears up to battle the coronavirus pandemic, the global medical technology industry is on the front line, mobilizing at never-before-seen levels, to help win this fight, AdvMed said in a statement.
"Our global network of experts is committed to support and work constructively with the government to ensure that there is no disruption in the global supply chain considering the dire need for technology to win this fight against Covid-19," AdvaMed Vice President Abby Pratt said.
As an association, AdvaMed will continue to work with the Indian government to help improve the status quo in light of the pandemic that will not only ensure quality healthcare of Indian patients but also encourage robust innovation landscape for companies that promote life-saving and life-improving treatments and cures in times of such a crisis situation, he added.
"Rapid scaling up of the availability of screening and diagnostic tests in more centres across India is key to manage the reported increase in the number of Covid-19 cases across India," Roche Diagnostics India Pvt Ltd MD Shravan Subramanyam said.
Addition of state government-run labs to the existing network could be an effective first step in the direction, he added.
"The government can establish scale for the Covid-19 screening and diagnostic network through existing private lab infrastructure, while diagnostic service providers can provide the technology for such testing," Subramanyam said.
Private labs partnership in the scaling up process allows for their existing countrywide infrastructure to be leveraged to address a potentially mass testing requirement, he added.
Emphasising the need for clear communication, BD-India/South Asia MD Pavan Mocherla said: "At a time like this, it is imperative to have a clear and consistent communication between the central authorities and the local bodies to ensure seamless and effective implementation of lockdown while preserving the supply chain for essential services in battling the COVID-19 crisis". AKT BALBAL