09-07-2025
AMTZ's WHIF joins BRICS+ Manufacturing Working Group
Visakhapatnam: In a landmark recognition of India's growing global footprint in healthcare innovation, the World Health Innovation Forum (WHIF), headquartered at Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone (AMTZ), has been selected as the only global initiative to join the prestigious BRICS+ Manufacturing Working Group.
Now, as part of the BRICS+ Manufacturing Working Group, WHIF will help lead joint research and development corridors, expand cross-border access to India's advanced testing and manufacturing facilities, and localise medical innovation ecosystems across partner countries.
This intergovernmental platform plays a key role in shaping manufacturing collaboration and industrial policy among BRICS nations and the other nations.
The announcement comes as India prepares to assume the BRICS Presidency in 2026. WHIF's inclusion reaffirms a powerful endorsement of India's med-tech capabilities and Vizag's emergence as a hub for an effective collaboration in health innovation.
Sharing his views, MD and Founder CEO of AMTZ Dr. Jitendra Sharma, said, 'This selection confirms India's leadership in innovation and system-ready technologies. WHIF's model, developed at AMTZ, bridges global south needs with world-class health-tech capabilities. Partnering with WHO and Kalam Institute, which is a WHO Collaborating Centre is a game changer.'
Terming the selection as a landmark validation of India's health innovation model, WHIF chief operating officer Mohini Mehta, said, "Being part of BRICS+ is not just a recognition, but a responsibility to co-create sovereign, scalable health solutions for the world using ultra low-cost medical technologies.'
Headquartered at AMTZ, WHIF has already established itself as a leading platform for inclusive, affordable, and system-ready health-tech. Through initiatives like the iPassport programme, the World Health Innovation Fellowship and EntrepreNari, WHIF has enabled engineers, startups, and women entrepreneurs from over 20 low and middle-income countries to access world-class infrastructure, regulatory support and policy networks in India.
The forum's selection positions India not just as a consumer of global technology but as a co-architect of the next-generation healthcare solutions in the global south.
