The National Health Systems Resource Centre (NHSRC) has been redesignated as a WHO collaborating centre for priority medical devices and health technology policy, an official statement said on Thursday.
The mandate of the division of healthcare technology at NHSRC is to draw up technical specifications for technologies procured under National Health Mission, draft policies for medical device maintenance and management, undertake evaluations of health product innovations and support the ministry on issues related to diagnostics initiative, National Dialysis Program among others.
In the past, NHSRC as a collaborating centre has supported WHO in formulating technical specifications for medical devices such as oxygen concentrators and resuscitation devices and continues to support evaluation of innovations for WHO's compendium on innovative devices, the statement said.
"This year in collaboration with WHO's country office, NHSRC developed a guidance document for the health ministry's free diagnostics initiative to further strengthen the agenda of universal access to affordable diagnostics," said the statement.
NHSRC also works with WHO on development of technical specification of blood pressure measuring devices, in vitro diagnostics and devices for cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
"Such global collaborations in the area of health technology will ensure that scientific and technological advances, research and development as well as innovative technologies play a substantial supportive role in healthcare and enable us to reach the public health goals and achieve universal health coverage," the statement said.