Centre directs states to enforce ban on reuse of single-use medical devices

The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has directed states and Union Territories to enforce a prohibition on reusing medical devices and disposable surgical items meant for one-time use. The directive follows reports of hospitals sterilising and reusing such items, particularly in cardiology, oncology, nephrology and neurosurgery. The DGHS has warned that this practice can expose patients to infections, device malfunction and other complications.

The DGHS has also raised concerns that, in some instances, patients and government authorities were charged the full cost of these items even when they had been reused. The letter states that the practice may violate applicable provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, the Medical Devices Rules, 2017, the Clinical Establishments Act, 2010, and relevant infection-control and biomedical-waste management requirements. The DGHS has directed health authorities to maintain strict vigilance, monitor healthcare establishments and take necessary action against non-compliance.