VISAKHAPATNAM: The World Health Innovation Forum (WHIF), headquartered at the Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone (AMTZ), has been selected to join the prestigious BRICS+ Manufacturing Working Group, an intergovernmental platform that shapes manufacturing collaboration and industrial policy among BRICS nations and the wider Global South.
The announcement comes at a significant moment as India prepares to assume the BRICS presidency in 2026. WHIF’s inclusion marks a strong endorsement of India’s MedTech capabilities and Visakhapatnam’s emergence as a key hub for health innovation across the Global South. The forum’s selection positions India not merely as a consumer of global technology but as a co-architect of next-generation healthcare solutions—designed, manufactured, and scaled in the Global South, for the Global South.
In a press release on Wednesday, AMTZ Managing Director and Founder CEO Dr Jitendra Sharma said, “This selection confirms India’s leadership in frugal innovation and system-ready technologies. WHIF’s model, developed at AMTZ, bridges the Global South needs with world-class health tech capabilities. Partnering with the WHO and the Kalam Institute, which is a WHO Collaborating Centre, is a game changer.”
As a member 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.