NEW DELHI: Two of the biggest names in the civil and military medical profession, Prof. M C Mishra, Director, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Lt. Gen. (Dr.) B K Chopra, Director General, Armed Forces Medical Services, Ministry of Defence, today exhorted the medical electronics and devices industry to come up with low-cost frugal technology for the benefit of the masses and produce what the defence service personnel require and not what the industry can produce.
Speaking on Day II of the FICCI ‘Global Conference on Medical Electronics and Devices’, Prof. Mishra put the issue in perspective, stating that 80 per cent of the medical technology available today serves 20 per cent of the people and as many as 39 million people fall back below the poverty line because of health related expenses. This was a major reason for their indebtedness both in urban and rural India.
He said that the Indian healthcare scenario was today characterized by abysmally low government expenditure, even in comparison with low and middle income countries, there was large economic disparity in population and low investment in capacity building, infrastructure and human capital .
In spite of being present for long period, the Indian medical technology industry was perceived as low tech and high tech products were being supplied foreign resident players, he said. Prof Mishra said that the School of International Biodesign, AIIMS had set for itself the three goals — to become the epicentre of Frugal Medical Technology Innovation; to train people in MedTech Innovation on the Biodesign process and to innovate for unmet clinical needs with a focus on developing countries.
He said that India strengths lay in its large population, large unmet needs which was an opportunity for the industry, large engineering (including engineering services) & infotech industry, educational institutes turning out 160,000 engineers annually, a naturally innovative mindset of the people and existence of industry examples that can be benchmarked with best global expectations.
The positive changes that were being witnessed, he said, were a greater belief amongst the healthcare stakeholders on their ability; implementation of regulations considering global experience and industry inputs, growing IP awareness / protection and nurturing of innovation bubs.
Lt. Gen. Chopra, in his address, pointed out that Indian defence personnel operated in inimical weather conditions and hostile environment. Therefore, medtech and devices need to be produced for to meet their special needs. “Industry needs to come to us and we will tell them what we want. Today, we are in a situation where we have to adjust to foreign technology”, as no tailor-made indigenous products were available, he said.
While acknowledging that there was no dearth of innovative talent in the country, Lt. Gen Chopra said that industry would have to come up with customized engineering solutions for the defence forces after testing product marketability and usefulness to patients.
Amongst the technological products required for the defence, he gave the example of mobile hospitals which can be deployed on any terrain. At present, what is available is hospitals that are fully air-conditioned with operation theatres, wards and toilet facilities but these are so large that they can be deployed only near airfields.The need for bio-friendly, odour-repellent clothing for soldiers deployed in Saichen was another product that should engage the attention of the indigenous manufacturers as soldiers in sub-zero temperatures are unable a bathe for days and weeks.
The underlying message was develop what India needs and that demand degeneration and its conversion into business opportunities was the responsibility of the industry.
Ms. Shobha Mishra Ghosh, Senior Director, FICCI, elaborated on FICCI’s initiatives in furthering innovation and startupsin healthcare and offered to collaborate with AIIMS and Armed Forces Medical Services which was endorsed by Prof. Mishra and Dr. Chopra.Mr. Sunil Khurana, Chairman, FICCI Medical Electronics Forum (MEF) and CEO & MD BPL Medical Technologies and Mr. J Sunderrajan, Co-Chair, FICCI MEF & Head – Strategic Sector Accounts & Business Development, Siemens Ltd. also shared their perspectives on the subject.
