Parliamentary committee on Dec 16, 2024 has expressed serious concerns regarding India’s ability to effectively test and regulate medical devices that emit radiation. In its fifth report submitted to Parliament, the Standing Committee on Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution highlighted critical shortcomings in the national infrastructure for testing equipment like X-ray and MRI machines.
The committee noted that the National Testing House (NTH) currently lacks adequate expertise and capacity to thoroughly test and certify these radiation-emitting medical devices. This issue persists despite regulatory oversight provided by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) and the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (cdsco).
To address these regulatory gaps, the committee has recommended the establishment of a collaborative framework between NTH, AERB, and CDSCO. Such a partnership would aim to enhance the testing infrastructure and ensure better oversight of medical devices, improving safety and regulatory compliance nationwide.
The key recommendations of the parliamentary committee emphasize the need to develop specialized testing capabilities at the National Testing House (NTH) by investing in advanced infrastructure, implementing targeted training programs for staff, and fostering collaborations with prominent research institutions.
The report also pointed out the limited reach of NTH testing facilities, which are currently confined to six cities: Ghaziabad, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Jaipur, Guwahati, and Mumbai.
To address this imbalance, the committee advocated for the establishment of at least one testing center in every state. It further called for increased financial support and better utilization of the NTH scheme to ensure the nationwide expansion of testing infrastructure.
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