Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani here today expressed desire to increase the state’s share in pharmaceuticals production from 30 per cent to 45 per cent.
Inaugurating two-day International Pharma & Healthcare Exhibition (iPHEX-2019), jointly organized by Government of India Department of Commerce and Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council (Pharmexcil), he appealed to the drug and pharmaceuticals to provide medicines and healthcare facilities, particularly for the serious and new diseases, at affordable prices by the next two decades. The industry should treat it as a godsend opportunity to serve the people, and not just as a commercial venture.
He said the State Government is committed to set up a Medical Devices Park in Gujarat in collaboration with the Central Government. Medicines produced in Gujarat qualify international standards.
Mr. Rupani said that the march of development started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be taken up farther by Gujarat, to fulfil the faith and aspirations of the people of the country. He said that MoUs for investment worth Rs.10,000-crore were inked during the state’s flagship biennial Gujarat Vibrant Summits, creating new job opportunities. He had a word of praise for in institutes like NIPER and PERD in providing the manpower for the industry.
He went round the stalls set up by nearly 370 exhibitors and 700 firms from 120 countries attending the exhibition.
Gujarat Government’s Health and Family Welfare Additional Chief Secretary P.K. Parmar said that India’s first pharmaceutical company was set up Alembic Chemical Works in 1907. There are at present 3,500 pharmaceutical companies in Gujarat provide jobs to one lakh people and contribute to one-third of the national production. Over 600 of these companies are approved by the WHO.
Pharmexcil Director-General Ravi Uday Bhaskar welcomed the guests, and iPHEX-2019 Chairman Vijay Shah proposed a vote of thanks.