Australian team hails facilities in AP MedTech

Visakhapatnam: The scope of Australia's relationship with India has increased in line with India's rapid economic and strategic growth, said Andrew Collister, Vice-Consul of Australian Consulate-General Chennai. A three-member team from Australia visited Visakhapatnam on Thursday and interacted with trade. The team also visited the office of AP Chambers of Commerce and Industry Federation and AP MedTech Zone.

Speaking on the occasion, Andrew Collister said that he was fascinated by the impressive work and infrastructure for producing medical devices. Collister found encouraging opportunities lying for more Australian companies by way of collaboration and technology transfer. Applauding the good initiative of making this region as Medical Manufacturing hub, Collister said the park would give a tremendous boost to the medical devices segment in the healthcare industry.

Welcoming the Andrew Collister and team, G Sambasiva Rao, president of AP Chambers of Commerce and Industry Federation, assured to extend all kinds of possible help for fostering trade relations with Australian government and explained the potential areas of investments in pharma sector, AMTZ, Tourism and IT.

Being Andhra Pradesh number one in ease of doing business as per the World Bank parameters, he promised necessary guidance would be given with the help of local authorities to Australian entrepreneurs who are willing to investment in the region.

Underscoring need for bio-medical skill certification for pan-India basis, Jitendar Sharma, CEO and MD of AP Medtech, said that convergence of technology and harmonising the skill sets by way of signing MoUs with the Australian companies would add incremental value and give AP Meditech corridor much needed boost.

With infrastructure facilities like for manufacturing, testing and certification of medical devices in the park, it would also play a big role in import substitution of medical devices, he added. With more investments lined up, large scale employment potential seems very bright in near future, Sharma claimed.

Sarah Greenbaum, Second Secretary of Political Section of Australian High Commission, said the medical devices sector is one of the most promising business segments of mutual interest to India and the Australia and it would come as no surprise that the trade relations between the two nations on this front will go deeper and stronger in the coming years.