The Textiles Ministry is pushing for amendments in the Drugs and Cosmetics Act to ensure that quality standards are set for new medical textiles used in products like baby diapers, contact lenses and surgical gloves to promote their sales.
"Last month, we had written to the Health Ministry to make some changes in the Act. Including such items in the statute will help in setting up of certain level of standards which will benefit hospitals and manufacturers," a Textiles Ministry official said.
At present, medical products made out of woven and cotton are included under the law.
While the the non-woven products, which broadly fall into the technical textiles, are priced at a premium of 20-25 per cent, consumers would be willing to pay for it once they carry the guarantee of quality standards, industry officials feel.
The domestic market for medical textiles was estimated at Rs 1,514 crore in 2007-08 and is expected to touch Rs 2,263 crore by 2012-13, according to official estimates.
The government would launch next year a mission on technical textiles, which also include products used in civil aviation, agriculture and defence sectors, the official said.
