The Association of Indian Medical Device Industry (AIMED) has urged the Prime Minister, and Science and Technology Minister to look into the sudden removal of Jitender Sharma from the post of Managing Director at Andhra Pradesh Med Tech Zone (AMTZ).

Rajiv Nath, Forum Coordinator of AIMED, urged the government to make use of the services of the "very talented" Dr. Sharma, who is also called the "Medtech Man of India", a release said. According to Nath, Sharma has played a key role in putting Andhra Pradesh on the global map as a hub for manufacturing medical devices, and his sudden removal is a major setback for the Indian medical device industry.

Sharma founded AMTZ from "concept to completion and progress", and was earlier the Health Advisor to the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. "Dr. Sharma had been instrumental in establishing AMTZ and Kalam Institute of Healthcare Technology which today has made the whole world look upon Andhra Pradesh as an investment destination for the manufacture of medical devices," the release said.

Asserting that Make in Andhra, and Make in India of medical devices is at stake without Sharma, the release said: "His team has accomplished the impossible jaw dropping feat of creating a Med Tech Park on a barren land in less than a year. "So much so that even the Global Medical Community along with WHO congregated to Vizag to join forces with Dr. Sharma and his team," it said.