The India Medtech Expo 2023, held from 17th to 19^th August, 2023 at Gandhinagar, Gujarat, moved the needle on its second day through the thought-provoking session on ‘Future Trends in MedTech for Geriatric & Home-based Care’.

The session on elder care which was chaired by Dr Vinod Kumar Paul, Member, NITI Aayog and moderated by Pavan Choudary, Chairman, Medical Technology Association of India (MTaI) trained the spotlight on MedTech’s crucial role in enabling care for seniors.

Pavan Choudary said, “The increasing healthcare and caregiving costs are making elders an expensive burden. Many caregiving children fall in the ‘sandwich generation’, with parents to care for on one side and their own children to care for on the other, added Choudary.” 

Dr Vinod Kumar Paul, during the panel discussion, stated, “The ageing demographic presents both a societal and governmental obligation to address the needs of the elderly population. A landmark study recently revealed that 43% of the elderly population would require one or more assisted medical device in the coming future. At present, the disability rate among individuals aged 60 and above surpasses 10%, emphasising the significance of comprehensive support mechanisms. Within this context, there exists a promising trajectory for the advancement of assisted medical devices tailored to senior living. He also stressed that the industry should through its efforts address the specific needs of elderly women in India as well.”

The panel sought the government’s help on resolving GST anomalies, non-coverage under Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (ABPMJAY) and other government schemes. It also explained that the draft Uniform Code for Medical Device Marketing Practices (UCMDMP) was put together meticulously by Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) after thorough stakeholder consultations with industry, patient groups, healthcare practitioners, etc.