AMTZ launches IBC to cater to global health emergencies

Visakhapatnam: Moving towards global healthcare resilience, Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone (AMTZ) has launched the International Biomed Cross (IBC) to serve as a critical international lifeline for maintaining and restoring medical devices during disasters and health emergencies.

This initiative is poised to redefine emergency medical response by deploying technical expertise where it is needed most—supporting hospitals, clinics, and emergency units in regions with limited biomedical support infrastructure.

At a time when the world is facing increasingly frequent climate-induced catastrophes, armed conflicts, and public health crises, the IBC emerges as a global community of biomedical and clinical engineers committed to ensuring that broken medical equipment never becomes the reason for a lost life.

The official launch of the International Biomed Cross took place at the recent ‘MedTech Policy Mahotsav’ in New Delhi. Spearheaded by Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone and supported by the Universal Clinical Engineering Federation (UCEF), the IBC was inaugurated by Jitendra Sharma, Managing Director and Founding CEO of AMTZ, in the presence of leading stakeholders from India’s health and medical technology ecosystem.

Speaking at the launch, Dr. Sharma said, “In times of disaster, broken equipment is as deadly as unavailable equipment. The IBC is our answer to that gap. This is India’s humanitarian and technological response to global healthcare disruptions.”

The IBC will be powered by a growing global volunteer force of biomedical engineers and healthcare technology experts who will provide hands-on repair, maintenance, and remote support for medical devices during emergencies. It also aims to strengthen long-term healthcare systems in underserved areas by facilitating equipment donations and knowledge sharing.

The organisation calls on volunteers, donors, and healthcare institutions across the world to join hands in this vital mission.