The new Bill will replace the existing Drugs and Cosmetics (Amendment) Bill, 2007 which is pending in Parliament and will have to be withdrawn.
Giving this information here today, Joint Secretary in the Health Ministry Arun Kumar Panda said regulation of medical devices industry has been a major challenge for the government and present thousands of such equipments are used in an unregulated manner.
The government will soon put up before the Cabinet the new bill which will have a separate chapter on medical devices, he said addressing a seminar -- 'Harnessing Medical Technology for inclusive healthcare in India'.
Panda said India's pharmaceutical sector has made rapid strides in the last few years and "we still need to create a place of our own in the medical devices sector".
He said the Government is keen on strenghtening its regulatory body- Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation -- by providing more skilled manpower and better infrastructure in its offices across the country.