58 minute read
News Roundup
(L-R) Shunsuke Honda, Senior Manager Medical System Division, Fujifilm India, Koji Wada, MD Fujifilm India and Chander Shekhar Sibal, Head of Division, Medical Division, Fujifilm India
University of Glasgow names research centre after John Shaw, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw
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The University of Glasgow has honoured John Shaw, former Vice-Chairman of Biocon, and Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Executive Chairperson of Biocon and Biocon Biologics, by naming the University’s new research centre after them. The Mazumdar-Shaw Advanced Research Centre will be home to over 500 researchers from a range of disciplines, facilitating world-changing collaborative research. The £116 million building will officially open in June 2022.
Qure.ai raises $40 M
Fujifilm India unveils range of CT, MRI and ultrasound machines
Fujifilm India unveiled a new range of products at the 74th National Annual Conference of IRIA 2022. The latest portfolio includes a plethora of products offering complete and integrated solutions for diagnostic purposes including CT, MRI, X-ray, AI, PACS, endoscopy and ultrasound systems through the Scenaria View, Supria series, The Echelon Smart and Arietta series.
Medtronic launches PRAAN
India Medtronic announced the launch of India’s first-ever dedicated registry for the collection of real-world data associated with the use of revascularisation devices in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients. The Prospective Registry for Assessment of Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients Treated with Neurothrombectomy Devices in India (PRAAN) is an industry-first endeavour to create a post-market registry to assess clinical outcomes associated with the use of Medtronic market-released revascularisation devices in patients experiencing acute ischemic stroke.
SRV Hospitals, Lokmanya Hospital launch centre on robotic orthopaedics
SRV Hospitals Group in association with Lokmanya Hospital, Pune has launched a new centre of excellence in robotic orthopaedics under the umbrella of SRV LHPL Centre of excellence for Robotic Orthopaedics. The centre will focus on ensuring cutting-edge technology and state of the art infrastructure as a part of its core foundation. The department will be equipped with the CORI Robotics Surgical System, the most advanced and efficient, real-intelligence hand-held robotics solution for joint replacement surgeries.
Qure.ai (Qure) has secured $40 million in a funding round led by Novo Holdings and HealthQuad, supported by existing investor MassMutual Ventures. Qure.ai will use the new investment to extend and strengthen its global reach, especially in the US and Europe, and intensify product development for critical care and community diagnostics.
Alembic Pharma buys full stake in Aleor Dermaceuticals
Alembic Pharmaceuticals has acquired the balance 40 per cent stake in Aleor
Dermaceuticals from its JV Partner Orbicular Pharmaceutical Technologies to strengthen its skin-related manufacturing and marketing footprint. The amalgamation will integrate business operations and provide impetus to the existing portfolio of Alembic. The acquisition augers well with the strategic planning and growth trajectory set by the company to capture a higher market share in various segments of its pharmaceutical business.
Aster DM Healthcare signs MoU with TN govt
Aster DM Healthcare has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Tamil Nadu, to set up its facilities in the state. The MoU was presented by Dr Azad Moopen, Founder Chairman and Managing Director, Aster DM Healthcare, who met MK Stalin, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, during his visit to Dubai. The MoU proposed an investment of Rs 500 crores in hospitals, pharmacies and laboratories in the state. This will help provide quality healthcare at an affordable cost to the people of Tamil Nadu and generate employment for more than 3500 people. Stalin has encouraged the initiative and ensured support to the healthcare group. This will further expand the services of Aster to all the South Indian states.
Aurobindo acquires domestic formulations biz of Veritaz Healthcare
Aurobindo announced the acquisition of the domestic formulation business of Veritaz on a slump sale basis. With this acquisition, Aurobindo is marked its first step to set its footprint in the Indian domestic market as announced earlier. The transaction is agreed upon at a consideration of Rs 171 crore on a debt-free cash-free basis. The transaction comes into effect on April 1, 2022, and is expected to close by May 2022. This acquisition vehicle will greatly help Aurobindo as a launchpad for marketing biosimilar and other products in India.
MedPiper acquires MedWriter
MedPiper, a Y-Combinator and MeITy, Government of India backed healthcare company, has acquired MedWriter, an AI writing assistant for doctors. MedWriter is a product designed and built by Lonere Labs, a Bengaluru-based product lab run by Abhijeet Katte. The move is in line with MedPiper’s focus to enable healthcare practitioners to express themselves better in the public domain, especially in light of the covid pandemic when there was a marked need for expert opinion and information. Already 1,000+ doctors and healthcare researchers have signed up to use MedWriter.
IRIA, Corporeal Health Solutions unveil AI-based screening system for covid, TB
The Indian Radiological & Imaging Association (IRIA), in collaboration with Chennai-based Corporeal Health Solutions (CHS), which specialises in providing innovative, cognitive Artificial Intelligence-based technology to the healthcare industry, has launched state-ofthe-art screening systems that streamline COVID-19 and tuberculosis protocols at international airports. Named CHOCO, this innovative product is the first-of-its-kind to be introduced in Asia. The initiative was inaugurated at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (BLR Airport) by Dr Pushpraj Bhatele.
US-based Gardner Orthopedics ties up with Shalby Advanced Technologies
Gardner Orthopedics, a recognised figure in orthopaedic treatment and surgery located in Fort Myers, Florida, and Shalby Advanced Technologies, a division of Shalby Hospitals, headquartered in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, announced an Indo-US collaboration to form Advanced Orthopedic Centres of Excellence at 11 multispecialty Shalby Hospitals in India and form Shalby Orthopedic Centres of Excellence in Fort Myers, Florida, and across India.
Doceree names Matt Botkin as Senior VP – Business Development, Point-of-Care
Doceree announced the appointment of Matt Botkin as Senior Vice President – Business Development, Point-of-Care. As the company expands its Point-of-Care division, Botkin is poised to lead Doceree’s strategic partnerships with health systems in the North American market. Throughout his career, Botkin has displayed an aptitude for growing organisations and introducing new technologies in the life sciences industry. With a prolific skill set for building a rapport with business leaders in the space, he will bolster Doceree’s alignment with health systems to enrich point-of-care communication offerings. His innovative mindset to create business initiatives that improve patient outcomes, and the cost of care are integral to fostering a greater value for the company’s associates in the category.
(L-R) Mahesh Pratapneni and Dr Felix Olale
MedGenome announces leadership transitions
MedGenome, South Asia’s leading genomics research and diagnostics company, announced that Sam Santhosh, co-founder and currently Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, will transition from his executive leadership role and move to the company’s Board of Directors. Mahesh Pratapneni, who co-founded MedGenome with Santhosh, and has been the Chief Strategy Officer, will take over as Group CEO. Dr Felix Olale, Partner of LeapFrog Investments, who has served as a Board member after leading a $55 million investment into MedGenome in 2020, has been appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors. This new leadership, along with the existing core management team, will continue to lead the company’s next phase of growth.
Israel’s Bar Ilan University launches course on 3D Printing in Medicine
Bar-Ilan University’s Azrieli Faculty of Medicine in Galilee has launched a new course, that aims to provide exposure to the use of innovative three-dimensionalbased technologies for medical treatment. The course will be led by Prof Samer Srouji, Director of the Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery at the Galilee Medical Center. The course, “Tomorrow’s Medicine – An Introduction to Tissue Regeneration and 3D Printing”, will be given by the Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery at the Galilee Medical Center.
Evercare Group launches Evercare Foundation
The Evercare Group announced the launch of the Evercare Foundation, a non-profit organisation working towards equitable health for all and the development of more resilient health systems across the low- and middle-income countries in Africa and South Africa. The foundation will serve as the philanthropic arm of the Evercare Group and will build on the footprint of the Evercare Group of 29 hospitals, 13 clinics, 88 diagnostic centres and have access to 11,400 caregivers, serving over 3.3 million people in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nigeria and Kenya.
IET India to lead disease surveillance project with CHRI
The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) India is leading a disease surveillance project in partnership with CHRI (Centre for Health Research and Innovation) that will use publicly available non-personal data to improve India’s public health infrastructure’s preparedness for disease outbreaks by predicting outbreaks. The project is funded by Siemens Healthineers, India as part of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). investor). The funds raised will be used for scaling up their product offering and adding more skill training content to their library. MediSimVR aims to make comprehensive medical training accessible and affordable across the world through its current offerings which include procedural simulation, virtual patient simulation and clinical education. They have been able to onboard almost 500 medical students in the last four months.
MedisimVR raises Rs 3.5 Cr in Pre-Series A round
MedisimVR, a med-tech company working in the field of healthcare simulation, has raised Rs 3.5 crore in a Pre-Series A round led by Inflection Point Ventures. The round saw participation from Chennai Angels and Jana Balasubramaniam (MedTech
MoH&FW awards J&K’s three districts under National TB elimination prog
Jammu Kashmir Health & Medical Education Department’s efforts toward TB elimination received major validation with three districts of Union Territory – Anantnag, Pulwama and Kupwara receiving gold medals under the Sub National Certification for TB Elimination programme in the country. The activity was undertaken by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India. A total of eight districts in the country were awarded the Gold medal and J&K has three districts on this list. Five other districts which have secured gold medals are Malappuram and Wayanad in Kerala, Khargone in Madhya Pradesh, Ahmednagar in Maharashtra, and Purba Medinipur in West Bengal. All these districts have shown 60-80 per cent reduction in TB cases in the last five years.
Chandra Ganjoo is the New Group CEO of Trivitron Healthcare
Trivitron Healthcare, a global medical technology company, has announced
Chandra Ganjoo as Group Chief Executive Officer (Group CEO) of Trivitron Healthcare with immediate effect. She brings in a unique experience and strong skills to lead Trivitron Healthcare into its next phase of profitable growth. Ganjoo, joined Trivitron Healthcare in 1999 and has played several positions in the organisation, has been a foundation of strength and progress. Since 1999, she has worked in sales, marketing, corporate communication, human resource management, cost controller, and a variety of other areas. She has risen in prominence, particularly in the last five years, when the company transformed from a predominantly trading and distribution company to a global R&D and manufacturing MNC by demonstrating exceptional compassionate people management skills, hard work, process compliance, and commitment.
Snowflake, the Data Cloud company, announced the launch of the Healthcare & Life Sciences Data Cloud. With the Snowflake Healthcare & Life Sciences Data Cloud, healthcare companies have a single, integrated, and cross-cloud data platform that eliminates technical and institutional data silos. This will enable organisations to securely centralise, integrate, and exchange critical and sensitive data at scale. Snowflake ensures high levels of data security and governance, and its built-in capabilities and extended partner network better allow companies to meet compliance requirements and satisfy industry regulations.
Aster CMI Hospital, IISc launch Artificial Intelligence Lab
In keeping with its commitment to bringing quality healthcare using the latest medical technology, Aster CMI Hospital in association with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) launched an Artificial Intelligence (AI) lab today. The Aster-AI lab is collaborative, set up to build cutting edge AI products in the healthcare domain and bridge the gap between clinical medicine and technology by training healthcare professionals in AI. Dr Azad Moopen, Founder Chairman and Managing Director, Aster DM Healthcare, Dr Lokesh B, Consultant Neurology, Aster CMI Hospital and Dr Phaneendra K Yalavarthy, Professor of Medical Imaging, Department of Computational and Data Sciences, IISc were present during the launch.
Dr Lokesh B, Consultant Neurology, Aster CMI Hospital, Dr Azad Moopen, Founder Chairman and Managing Director, Aster DM Healthcare and Dr Phaneendra K Yalavarthy, Professor of Medical Imaging, Department of Computational and Data Sciences, IISc
IHH Healthcare India appoints Biju Nair as COO of Bengaluru cluster
IHH Healthcare India announced the appointment of Biju Nair as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Bengaluru cluster which includes BGS Gleneagles Global Hospital (a tertiary care hospital of great repute for multi-organ transplants, oncology and advanced gastro science) at Kengeri and Gleneagles Global Hospital (a super speciality hospital) at Richmond Road. Biju Nair will be primarily leading the business and PnL for the Bengaluru cluster and will be directly reporting to Anurag Yadav, CEO, IHH Healthcare India.
JSB Healthcare Raises Rs 1.3 crore from Velocity
Home health and fitness products brand JSB Healthcare has raised Rs 2.5 crore from Velocity.in across two rounds of financing. Based out of New Delhi, JSB Healthcare is one of India’s leading brands in the health and fitness industry. JSB Healthcare carries a vast line of products such as massage chairs, sports & fitness equipment, patient care, and wellness products.
IMD, Govt of Odisha launch Malaria Planning and Prediction Toolkit
Malaria No More India unveiled the operations of the Malaria Prediction and Planning System under the ‘Forecasting Healthy Futures’ (FHF) initiative – a consortium convened in 2020 by Malaria No More and Crown Prince Court of Abu Dhabi’s ‘Reaching the Last Mile’ initiative. The sophisticated system, powered by the Malaria Prediction and Planning Toolkit (MPPT), is a 360° solution basket and has been developed under FHF in partnership with the Government of Odisha. MPPT is the first of its kind toolkit that uses an advanced data-driven, AI-powered, storytelling system to strengthen early warning systems and health decision making.
AffordPlan partners with Milann Fertility
AffordPlan, a healthcare finance company, announced a partnership with Milann Fertility & Birthing Hospitals, to extend affordable and accessible fertility treatments to couples on their journey
The partnership ceremony
to parenthood. With this partnership, AffordPlan’s Swasth cardholders can avail of fertility services at any Milann centres across India and enjoy cost savings on treatments.
Dr Azad Moopen bags Doctorate for Philanthropy by Amity University, Dubai
Dr Azad Moopen, Founder CMD, Aster DM Healthcare was awarded an honorary Doctorate for Philanthropy by Amity University, Dubai for his commitment to continue serving people in need and making healthcare affordable and accessible for millions of people each year across GCC and India. The doctorate was awarded at a convocation ceremony held at the Amity University Campus in Dubai.
Lupin unveils reference lab in Kolkata
Lupin Diagnostics has launched its first reference laboratory in Kolkata. The new reference laboratory at Kolkata has the capabilities to conduct a broad spectrum of routine and specialised tests in the fields of molecular diagnostics, cytogenetics, flow cytometry, histopathology, cytology, microbiology, serology, haematology, immunology and routine biochemistry. Lupin Diagnostics is also setting up laboratories in West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa to comprehensively cater to the East India region. These processing labs will be located in the cities of Siliguri, Berhampore, Asansol, Burdwan and Bankura in West Bengal, along with Guwahati (Assam), Patna (Bihar), Ranchi and Dhanbad (Jharkhand) and Bhubaneshwar (Orissa). The labs will be connected to Lupin’s franchise collection centres, LupiMitra.
Aten Porus raises pre-series round
Avammune Therapeutics (a spin-off from Aten Porus Lifesciences) secures a round of financing for the completion of IND enabling studies for their Immunooncology asset. This funding will help advance Avammune’s highly diversified pipeline of best-in-class and first-in-class assets for oncology and autoimmune disorders.
Union AYUSH Minister announces Rs 100-Cr investments in Nagaland
The Union Minister of Ayush and Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal announced a major investment of more than Rs 100 crores to develop the Ayush Healthcare sector in the state of Nagaland today. One 30-bedded Ayush hospital and three 10-bedded hospitals along with one Ayurvedic college will be developed in the state with the allocated funds. An integrated Ayush Hospital was also inaugurated by the Union Minister at Razha Chedema in Kohima earlier today. The 30-bedded Ayush hospitals will be developed at Kihpire while the 10 bedded Ayush hospitals will be developed, one each at Mokokchung, at Nagaland University in Dimapur & Wokha. The Union Minister announced the setting up of a state-of-the-art Ayurvedic college at Longleng. The cost of this college is estimated at Rs 70 crore.
Dr Thiru Annaswamy to join Dept of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Texas University
Dr Thiru Annaswamy will join Penn State Health Milton S Hershey Medical Center and Penn State College of Medicine on September 1 as the new chair of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Annaswamy currently serves as a professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. He also serves as a staff physician and section chief in physical medicine and rehabilitation at the VA North Texas Health Care System/Dallas VA Medical Center.
Dr Thiru Annaswamy
Regional Research Institute of Unani Medicine in Srinagar to be developed as COE
The Union Minister of Ayush and Ports, Shipping & Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the International Conference on “Diet and Nutrition in Unani Medicine for Good health & well-being” in Srinagar. On this occasion, the minister announced that the Regional Research Institute of Unani Medicine will be developed as a
Centre of Excellence. The MoS for Ayush and WCD Dr Munjpara Mahendrabhai also attended the conference.
Everlife acquires Research Instruments Group
Everlife Holdings, a leading market access and distribution company in India and South East Asia, has announced the completion of its acquisition of Research Instruments Group (RI), a leading provider of scientific and laboratory instrumentation in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.RI currently employs over 70 people in four countries who provide a full suite of services including sales, marketing, service and regulatory and logistical support.
Venus Remedies wins WHO GDP certification
Venus Remedies has received the coveted WHO Good Distribution Practices (GDP) Certification from Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS), the world’s leading testing, inspection and certification company, in a resounding endorsement of its quality services throughout the entire supply chain cycle.
Indian Society of Nephrology, AstraZeneca India join hands
Indian Society of Nephrology (ISN) and AstraZeneca announced a multi-year partnership to create public awareness about kidney care and related health disorders, build education at the primary care physician-level on early diagnosis, prompt management and aid nationwide screening for at-risk patients and the general public to promote timely detection and holistic management.
Wipro GE Healthcare appoints Elie Chaillot to Board of Directors
Wipro GE Healthcare announced the appointment of Elie Chaillot, President & CEO, GE Healthcare Intercontinental, to its Board of Directors. This announcement comes after the formation of a new Intercontinental Region within GE Healthcare, led by Chaillot. The Intercontinental region is a nearly $3 billion business unit with 10,000 employees, covering over 60 countries across Latin America, India and South Asia, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.
(L-R) Dr Shravan Subramanyam, MD, Wipro GE Healthcare; Azim Premji, Chairman, Wipro GE Healthcare and Chairman, Wipro Enterprises; and Elie Chaillot, President & CEO, Intercontinental Region, GE Healthcare
LifeCell India launches comprehensive breast screen panel
LifeCell, a leading comprehensive healthcare solutions provider announced the launch of the breast screen panel, a comprehensive genetic screening test that assesses the risk of breast cancer in women.LifeCell’s breast screen panel not only screens for the mutations in the most common BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes but also screens for all 20 high and moderate risk non-BRCA genes associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer as outlined by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines.
Alisha Moopen partners with rural activist Ruma Devi for health initiatives
Alisha Moopen, Deputy Managing Director of Aster DM Healthcare led Aster Volunteers, the global CSR arm of Aster DM Healthcare, to partner with India’s rural activist Ruma Devi, a Nari Shakti Puraskar 2018 awardee to provide health access to the rural household in Barmer, Rajasthan. The partnership will see Aster Volunteers and Ruma Devi collaborating to improve access to primary healthcare services for the rural population of the Barmer District, alongside launching women empowerment initiatives.
Ankura launches pharma data integrity solution
Ankura Consulting, a leading global expert services and advisory firm, announced the expansion of its pharmaceutical and biopharma regulatory compliance offering with the addition of a pharmaceutical data integrity solution within the data and technology practice, bolstering its comprehensive client advisory capabilities. With this solution, Ankura has enhanced its team of experts to support pharmaceutical clients’ compliance with the data integrity guidelines of multiple regulators through advanced digital technology. The offering includes an Early Warning System (EWS), an automated platform to help identify data integrity anomalies in real-time and assist companies in performing forensic data integrity investigations and remediation for any regulatory action such as form 483, warning letter and import alert.
Narayana Health City in association with the Indian Cancer Society has set up a dedicated ACT (After Completion of Therapy) Clinic. Dr Devi Prasad Shetty, Founder and Chairman of Narayana Health along with Dr Emmanuel Rupert (Managing director and Group CEO, Narayana Health),
Dr Devi Prasad Shetty, Founder and Chairman of Narayana Health along with one of the childhood cancer survivor lighting the lamp and inaugurating the ACT Clinic at Narayana Health City
and Kanchan Banerjee, Hon Secretary of Indian Cancer Society today inaugurated the department. Dr Purna Kurkure (Chairman – Oncology collegium, Narayana Health), Dr Sunil Bhat (Clinical Director and Lead of Paediatric Haematology, Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplants) and Dr Sharath Damodar (Clinical Director and Lead of Adult Haematology and Bone Marrow Transplants) and Children who have fought cancer successfully were also present at the event.
Ever Pharma launches western apomorphine therapy devices for Parkinson’s patients
In a boon to patients of Parkinson’s Disease, advanced third-generation D-mine apomorphine pumps and pens (injections) manufactured by German pharma major Ever Pharma have been launched in Bengaluru by Celera Neuro Sciences. The state-of-the-art apomorphine-delivery devices, widely used in Europe, were unveiled by Dr K Sudhakar, Minister of Medical Education & Health, Govt. of Karnataka, at the ongoing symposium on Parkinson’s Disease in Bengaluru, organised by King’s College London (KCL) and Parkinson’s Research Alliance of India (PRAI).
Axis Bank commits $150 M to SAMRIDH Healthcare
Axis Bank has committed to strengthening India’s healthcare infrastructure by signing an MoU with IPE Global for the SAMRIDH Healthcare Blended Finance facility. Under this partnership, Axis Bank will provide affordable finance of up to $150 million through SAMRIDH, to support health enterprises and innovators who would otherwise not have access to affordable debt financing. The ability to access loans will help them increase production and provide advanced health solutions to address COVID-19 along with other health emergencies, especially across the vulnerable communities of India from Tier II and III cities.
Govt announces major healthcare boost for Mizoram
The Union Minister of Ayush and Ports Shipping & Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal announced a slew of measures to boost the AYUSH sector in Mizoram. The minister, along with the Chief Minister of Mizoram, Zoramthanga, laid the foundation stones for six Ayush hospitals in Mizoram. In a further boost to healthcare infrastructure in the hill state of the Northeast, as many as 24 Ayush Health & Wellness Centres (HWC) were inaugurated across Mizoram.
StanPlus partners with Even
Even – a health tech company and healthcare provider, and StanPlus – India’s emergency medical response company, announced their partnership to provide emergency medical transportation services. StanPlus and Even will work closely to ensure that patients have access to 24/7, unlimited and panIndia emergency ambulance services that include road and air ambulance transportation and doctors on call.
67% Indians believe ‘Made in India’ vaccines are safer than developed abroad: Survey
Saizen Global Insights & Consulting in collaboration with HEAL Foundation has conducted INDIA VAX-SCENE Survey on vaccine perception in February 2022. In the survey, 1106 respondents participated from across nine metro cities of India, with a mean age of 28.7 years. Among them, 45 per cent were women. Of them, 98 per cent has belief in COVID-19 vaccines. And 78-79 per cent are optimistic about life getting back to normal in the next two to five years from COVID-19 impacts, wherein 83 per cent believes that vaccines play a critical role in getting back to normal.
Serina Fischer joins Takeda as GM for India
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, a global values-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical leader, announced the appointment of Serina Fischer as its General Manager for India operations. In her new role, Fischer will lead the company’s business in India, ensuring patient access to the company’s highly innovative medicines. Fischer has over 17 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry and is an accomplished, dynamic leader with expertise in strategy, sales, marketing, and operations. She joined Takeda in 2017 and has held various leadership roles in its US affiliate.
The felicitation ceremony of Dr Sudarshan Ballal Dr Sudarshan Ballal facilitated with honorary doctorate
Manipal Hospitals is proud to announce that Dr Sudarshan Ballal, Chairman, Manipal Hospitals has been facilitated with a doctorate of science honouris causa degrees (Sc.D./D.Sc.in science) by the Rani Channamma University during the 9th Annual Convocation at the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belgavi. Dr Ballal set up the first training programme in nephrology in Karnataka in 1999 and performed the first cadaver kidney transplantation in the state. The doctorate of science is obtained after a satisfactory evaluation of knowledge, research accomplishments, and a doctoral defence offered by only a few prestigious institutions in India.
Mapmygenome India opened its Genomics Experience Center in Bengaluru. The NABL & ICMR certified centre is located at Sector 7, HSR Layout. The new centre is an expansion of Mapmygenome’s services provided in Hyderabad and Delhi. Now, customers can get access to distinctive
Krsnaa Diagnostics secures contract with HP
Krsnaa Diagnostics announced its agreement with the Government of Himachal Pradesh. The tenure of the contract awarded will be up to five years and will be implemented in all government health institutions in the entire state of Himachal Pradesh. As per the contract, Krsnaa Diagnostics will be installing, operating and maintaining routine and advanced laboratory testing facilities at selected public health institutions. These include government medical colleges of the state, district/ general hospitals owned by the state government and community health centres (CHCs).
Trivitron Healthcare has acquired 100 per cent shareholding in the US-based, The Kennedy Company, a leading manufacturer of radiation protection X-ray shielding material and acoustic barrier products. Trivitron Healthcare is committed to providing research-driven technologically advanced yet affordable healthcare products and with this acquisition, the company has further strengthened its manufacturing presence in the US.
Dr Sheela Nampoothiri joins ICMR’s Rare Diseases National Consortium’s expert committee as co chair
Sheela Nampoothiri, Head, Paediatric Genetics, Amrita Hospitals, Kochi has been selected as the co-chair and member of the Rare Diseases National Consortium, an expert committee under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for research related to the treatment of rare diseases. Dr Ratna Puri from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi is the Chairperson of the expert committee. Dr Ashwin Dalal, Center for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD) in Hyderabad, Dr Mamta Muranjan of KEM Hospital, Dr KS Meenakshi Bhatt of Centre for Human Genetics, Bangalore, Dr Neerja Gupta of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi and Dr Sujatha Jagadeesh, of MediScan, Chennai are the other members of the panel. services such as genetic tests, genetic counselling, blood tests, health screening tests, antibody tests and COVID-19 RT-PCR tests.
Launch of BSc course at GITAM University
GITAM University, Pfizer launch BSc Chemistry Course
Pfizer Healthcare in association with GITAM Deemed to be University, has launched an undergraduate programme in Chemistry (B.Sc. Chemistry Pfizer Programme). The programme has been designed with the help of GITAM faculty to develop qualified professionals to contribute and excel in the pharmaceutical industry. The course which will begin later this year was inaugurated to encourage students who have opted for the Pfizer Autonomous Teams (PAT) programme under B.Sc.Chemistry at GITAM Deemed to be University.
StanPlus has announced the appointment of Dr Navneet Singh as the Group Medical Director to ensure clinical excellence in all its verticals. With 17 years in the healthcare and healthcare facilities sector, Dr Singh will further strengthen StanPlus’ quest to deliver the ‘First Minute, Last Mile’ Healthcare promise to save millions of lives. Dr Navneet Singh is an experienced and senior professional with a demonstrated history in the hospital and healthcare industry. Over the years he has worked with the country’s esteemed healthcare institutes like Fortis Healthcare, Emsos Aviation, and Radiant Healthcare amongst others, driving excellence in the field of Emergency Medicine, Critical Care Nursing, Healthcare Management and Training, and Accreditation.
IIT Delhi start-up Nanoclean launches Naso95
IIT Delhi start-up Nanoclean Global has launched the world’s smallest wearable air purifier which is at par effective with an N95 grade face mask. The launch ceremony at IIT Delhi observed a gathering of doctors and government officials. Rajesh Kumar Pathak cadre, Secretary Technology Development Board, Government of India was the chief guest and Dr MC Mishra, ExDirector AIIMS, Delhi was guest of honour. Naso95 is an N95 grade nasal filter. It sticks to the user’s nasal orifice and prevents bacteria, viral infection and pollen and air pollution. It is at par effective with an N95 grade face mask. A person using Naso95 is more protected than a generic facemask or a loosely fitted face mask. The product has been tested and certified by national and international labs for its safety and efficiency. The product comes in different sizes i.e. Small, Medium, Large and Kids size.
Thermo Fisher Scientific unveils genetic analyser
Thermo Fisher Scientific introduced its latest generation of SeqStudio Flex Series Genetic Analyzer to enable customers’ cutting-edge research in areas such as gene editing and infectious disease. Capillary Electrophoresis (CE), which enables Sanger sequencing and fragment analysis is an important tool for improving clinical research and advancing scientific discovery. The SeqStudio Flex Genetic Analyzer delivers the gold-standard quality of CE technology with accurate data and reliable performance.
Sun Pharma to introduce its version of Vortioxetine in India
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries announced that one of its wholly-owned subsidiaries has entered into an exclusive patent licensing agreement with H Lundbeck to market and distribute its version of Vortioxetine in India under the brand name, VORTIDIFTM. The territory of the licensing agreement will only cover India. Vortioxetine is a novel antidepressant with multimodal activity, which is approved to treat Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in adults. The product is approved in over 80 countries, including the US, EU, Canada and Australia.
DFU clinic team
Wockhardt Hospitals, Mumbai Central introduces treatment for diabetic foot ulcer
Wockhardt Hospitals has launched a Diabetic Foot Ulcer clinic (DFU) to reduce the chances of foot amputation due to diabetes by using Growth Factor Concentrate Therapy (GFC). This is a pathbreaking therapy where growth factors derived from the patient’s platelets are further purified and used as an acellular growth factor giving consistent quality and quantity. of prostate cancer patients. The medicine was previously available in 40mg and 80mg strength for which patients had to consume two capsules a day as per the approved dosage is primarily used to treat prostate cancer patients. The objective behind the launch of Enzalutamide 160 mg is to ensure better efficacy, minimum side effects, contain relapse cases by blocking the hormones of cancer cells providing an evolved treatment.
Medvarsity partners with Clove Dental to launch Fellowship in Endodontics
Medvarsity, the leading healthcare ed-tech brand and Clove Dental have partnered to launch a Fellowship course in Endodontics. The six months fellowship programme includes a three-month contact programme with Clove Dental across all major Indian cities. This allows the students to apply their knowledge in a real-world clinical setting.
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PureSoftware opens 5G innovation lab in Noida
PureSoftware announced the opening of its new 5G innovation lab in Noida. The innovation lab will streamline 5G IP stack development, solution testing and performance validation. Through this lab, PureSoftware aims to provide customised industry-specific 5GNR RU and Integrated Small Cell solutions for use cases in connected healthcare, retail, autonomous mobility, smart communities, education, and other industries.
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BDR Pharma launches prostate cancer drug Enzalutamide 160 mg
BDR Pharmaceuticals has launched BDENZA in 160mg strength aiding the convenience
Future of TB Diagnostics is WSG
Team IMT
Today, TB is still one of the most infectious killers, causing more deaths than malaria or AIDS. According to WHO estimates, a total of 1.5 million people died from TB in 2020, making it the 13th leading cause of death worldwide and the second leading infectious killer only after COVID-19. Further, India accounts for around 26 per cent of the total TB cases across the world. The COVID-19 pandemic aggravated the TB scenario. Covid restrictions prevented TB patients from seeking treatment. In addition, many cases remained undiagnosed. WHO states, 4.1 million people currently suffer from TB but have not been diagnosed with the disease or have not officially reported it to national authorities; increasing 1.5 times from 2.9 million in 2019. Highest unreported TB in India
In 2020, a total of 18.12 lakh cases of tuberculosis were notified, which was 25 per cent less than the total 24 lakh cases notified in 2019, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has said. One of the main reasons for the decreased number of TB cases was the disruption in access to TB services and a reduction in resources and people struggling to seek care in the context of lockdowns, a HaystackAnalytics report said.
Not only can this have a detrimental impact on the economy, but the situation can also aggravate considerably, if not addressed in due time. The high incidence rate within the productive age group which contributes the most
to their families and GDP financially points to a major loss in income and productivity. “A staggering 65 per cent of the tuberculosis cases in India are in the 15-45 age group, which is the most economically productive population segment,” Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Health Minister said.
High incidence of MDR TB in India
While the world is effectively treating drug-susceptible forms of TB, the community transmission of drugresistant forms of TB can snowball into a difficult to treat the epidemic. The WHO estimates that globally only two of every three patients with MDR TB are diagnosed, three in every four of the diagnosed are treated, and only one of every two of the treated patients are cured, resulting in 75 per cent of the incident cases persisting in the community, leading to active transmissions and death. Though a battery of common MDR TB tests is available, these tests fail to detect higher grade strains such as XDR TB, highlighting concerns about their efficacy and treatment options.
With high mortality rates, negative impact on the economy and loss of productivity, it is imperative to start working towards solving the problem at the core. Accurate diagnosis at an affordable cost is paramount in the fight against TB.
Why Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) is the need of the hour
Given the situation, it is imperative to start working towards solving the problem at the core to ensure accurate and timely diagnosis and scalable treatment options for patients. Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) can emerge as the revolutionary onestop solution for the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis in India. This technique can determine the entirety of an organisms’ DNA cost-effectively through a single comprehensive test by enabling an ‘all-in-one’ approach that provides epidemiological data and comprehensive information on the diagnostic background and expected sensitivity of the strains. It is less expansive to run a WGS than a culture test currently available. Scaled platforms of WGS are already significantly less cost-intensive than the culture DST HaystackAnalytics report said. The report also pointed out that by utilising the WGS platform labs can be optimally utilised. These platforms provide unprecedented asset utilisation, wherein each installation can perform more than 600,000 tests per year. Tentatively, 10 such installations can cover the testing of the entire caseload in the country, HaystackAnalytics report said.
The report further states that in the battle for accurate diagnostics, Universal DST has been declared a key process of India’s National TB Elimination Program. However, it is evident that in the current system culture DST, which is not only extremely resource-intensive and a highly hazardous process involving multiple cultures of highly drugresistant isolates, is not going to scale. And till we have a scale solution, India will not be able to achieve the target of being TB free by 2025
Expanding the scope for WGS Testing in India
While the use of WGS for the treatment of tuberculosis has been deployed in countries such as the UK, Spain and Italy, India has recently called out at a policy level to use WGS for the diagnosis of tuberculosis cases. HaystackAnalytics has partnered with various diagnostic centres such as Thyrocare, Metropolis, Unipath, Anderson, Sterling Accuris, Apollo Hospitals and over 20+ hospitals including AIIMS, to introduce their Sequencing based game-changing TB test which is being used for accurate diagnosis of tuberculosis in India.
Environment and Health
Environmental effects on health are a hot topic of discussion among the political and medical communities around the world. Every 14 seconds a person dies from air pollution in the Western Pacific, and over 90 per cent of people breathe unhealthy levels of outdoor air pollution, largely resulting from the burning of the same fossil fuels that are driving climate change.
Amid the global pandemic, a polluted planet, increasing rates of diseases like cancer, asthma and heart disease, on World Health Day this year, WHO will focus global attention on the urgent actions needed to keep humans and the planet healthy and foster a movement to create societies focused on wellbeing. This World Health Day 2022, the focus was on climate change and its effect on life.
The environmental factors affect health in several ways both in severity and clinical significance. For example, the effects of environmental degradation on human health can range from death caused by cancer due to air pollution to psychological problems resulting from noise.
In India, the clinical significance of environmental detriments is related more to the exposure to air pollutants (particularly in North India) and chemicals in the environment. Burning of stubble and industry pollutants are major causes of air quality problems and are on the increase, with serious repercussions for human health.
Sources of environmental pollution
There can be various sources of exposure to chemicals, which can reach the environment through emissions from industries, anti-fouling paints on marine vessels, agricultural pesticides, waste incineration and leakage from waste disposal sites etc. While emissions of chemicals can be reduced, they can have a long term impact on the environment after the emission has stopped. Feed additives and medication for livestock are some of the other sources of chemicals which can cause harm to humans. Residues in the form of chemicals that remain in fruit, grains, vegetables, meat and dairy products also impact humans.
As mentioned earlier, unsafe livestock feeding practices make toxins reach the food chain unintentionally. Dioxins contaminating the poultry feed can reach the food chain of humans once they consume the contaminated meat. Reference can be made to the mad cow disease in livestock which has been linked to a new form of CreuzfeldtJacobs disease in consumers.
The effects can be dangerous and can lead to serious allergies and also cancer. Although one cannot find a direct link between exposure and disease, in some cases a direct causal relationship can be found. In some cases, low levels of urban air pollutants in the long term can cause asthma, allergies, respiratory diseases and cardiovascular diseases. Heavy metals may lead to neurological disorders and various cancers and sometimes birth defects and reproductive disorders.
Noise is another form of pollution that can impact human health, leading to decreasing quality of life and in some cases depression. It may be noted that ozone-depleting substances (ODS) are used in cooling systems and spray cans. Ozone layer depletion has led to increased exposure to UV radiation and a greater risk of skin cancer. Action taken
During the ‘90s, the huge worldwide toll of CVD was attributed primarily to lifestyle factors such as poor diet, lack of exercise, lack of medical care, smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke. Similarly in India, demographic and health transitions, gene-environmental interactions and early life influences “With the growing industrialisation and lack of proper laws regulating
chemical waste disposal, we stand the risk for exposure to chemical toxins.
Dr Harsh Dhar Consultant Head Neck and Skull Base Surgeon, Medica Superspecialty Hospital, Kolkata
“Strategies available for pesticide reduction include agronomic practice, resistant crops, natural pesticides, integrated pest management, agroecology, organic farming etc.”
Dr Shivakumar Kandaswamy, Consultant Pulmonologist, BGS Gleneagles Global Hospital of fetal malnutrition were enumerated as the likely causes of increased CVD burden, failing to recognise the additional harmful effects of rising pollution levels in urban India.
Although the rapidly expanding evidence appears to be carrying the newly recognised field of environmental cardiology into ever-widening areas of influence, research in the area remains in its infancy. Yet there has been much growth in the west in the last few years. One group that is beginning to embrace environmental cardiology is the American Heart Association (AHA), an 80-year-old organisation that has traditionally focussed on risk factors such as poor diet and lack of exercise as some of the most important contributors to CVD. In the 1 June 2004 issue of Circulation, an expert panel of 11 researchers and physicians published an AHA Scientific Statement that concluded that air pollutants, one of the major environmental exposure sources under investigation by environmental cardiologists, pose a "serious public health problem" for CVD. This is the first official AHA acknowledgement of such links.
A few other US government agencies, such as the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), have also begun to address the links between environmental agents and CVD, as have advocacy organisations such as the American Lung Association and the Natural Resources Defense Council. And the NIEHS, one of the original players in the environmental cardiology arena, has ramped up its efforts to explore this area of research.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries are safe when it comes to direct exposure to chemicals or air pollutants. Although OECD countries have taken steps to decrease the production of ODS, exposure levels to UV radiation are still above acceptable levels in many regions of the world.
What experts say
According to a report by WHO more than seven million people across the world lose their lives due to diseases linked with PM2.5 pollution. India, being a rapidly developing country with an increasing population is suffering from severe air pollution; among the world's 10 most polluted cities, nine of them lie in India. The increasing air pollution in most of the Indian megacities over the last few decades and its consequential human health impacts (such as asthma and cardio-respiratory illness) has drawn prominent attention in recent years.
Climate change and air pollution have been a matter of serious concern in India in the last few decades. The expanding urban areas with extreme climate events like high rainfall, extreme temperature, floods, and droughts are posing human health risks. The intensified heatwaves because of climate change have led to the elevation in temperature levels causing thermal discomfort and several health issues to urban residents.
Says Dr Harsh Dhar, Consultant Head Neck and Skull Base Surgeon, Medica Superspecialty Hospital, Kolkata, “With the growing industrialisation and lack of proper laws regulating chemical waste disposal, we stand the risk for exposure to chemical toxins. Of the most devastating elements of this pollution is that plastics take thousands of years to decay. Besides, these pollutants cause an increase in harmful algal blooms that produce toxins that accumulate in seafood. The ingestion of these toxins in humans can further cause cancer, amongst many other harmful diseases. There is definite evidence that the incidence of cancer is rising and a certain proportion of this can be attributed to the rise in environmental toxins.”
Environmental pollution by industries especially, air pollution or particle pollution is one of the most important causes of cardiovascular diseases apart from usual culprits such as gender, hypertension, smoking, diabetes and obesity. According to Dr Raghavendrra Chikatoor, Senior Cardiothoracic Surgeon, BGS Gleneagles Global Hospital, “Though we do not have Indian studies, indirect evidence could be seen in the increased incidence of heart attacks, strokes etc, in urban population. Anti-fouling paints used in ships contain a large amount of copper which is shown to accumulate in marine life forms and gets passed up in the food chain including fishes. It also contaminates water near the dockyards and high levels of copper can cause damage to solid organs like the liver and kidney. The chronic exposure can lead to cancers of solid organs too.”
Dr Kakoli Lahkar, Consultant- Medical Oncology, Manipal Hospital, Old Airport Road, Bangalore, “The environment we live in has a direct effect on our health. Chemicals like pesticides and emissions from industries cause inflammation “Being more conscious of pollution and chemical exposure may lead to better health and the prevention of chronic health conditions.”
Dr Kakoli Lahkar, consultant- Medical Oncology, Manipal Hospital, Old Airport Road, Bangalore
and oxidative stress leading to cardiovascular, respiratory, and other diseases. Air pollution resulting from diesel fumes can cause various respiratory illnesses including cancer. Being more conscious of pollution and chemical exposure may lead to better health and the prevention of chronic health conditions.”
How to remain safe
Humans should take precautionary measures to overcome the challenges of pollution. Safe practices should be adopted to live a pollution-free environment. After all that we sow today will reap tomorrow.
According to Dhar the only way to be safe from these risks is to eat healthy foods, increase immunity, completely avoid processed foods as much as possible, stay hydrated, have safe household water storage, better hygiene measures, and limit the use of unknown chemicals, especially plastics.
Dr Kandaswamy says, “Strategies available for pesticide reduction include agronomic practice, resistant crops, natural pesticides, integrated pest management, agroecology, organic farming etc.”
Conclusion
There can be many ways we can minimise pollution which is harmful to not only humans but also other living beings. Not using pesticides in agricultural activities, using chemical feeds for livestock can bring a sea change in human health in the long run and thus reduce the impact of harmful diseases. How we can control the environment today will tell us what we will be getting tomorrow.
Many policies and individual choices have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and produce major health co-benefits. The phase-out of polluting energy systems, for example, or the promotion of public transportation and active movement, could both reduce carbon emissions and cut the burden of household and ambient air pollution, which cause 7 million premature deaths per year. WHO’s work plan on climate change and health includes:
• Advocacy & Partnerships: to coordinate with partner agencies within the
UN system, and ensure that health is properly represented in the climate change agenda, as well as to provide and disseminate information on the threats that climate change presents to human health, and opportunities to promote health while cutting carbon emissions;
• Monitoring Science and evidence: to coordinate reviews of the scientific evidence on the links between climate change and health; assess the country's preparedness and needs when facing climate change, and to develop a global research agenda;
• Supporting countries to protect human health from climate change: strengthening national capacities and improving the resilience and adaptive capacity of health systems to deal with the adverse health effects of climate change
• Building capacity on climate change and human health: to assist countries to build capacity to reduce health vulnerability to climate change, and promote health while reducing carbon emissions.
Source: WHO
UnivLabs has set out on a goal to develop cutting-edge, affordable medical equipment for the Indian and global markets to fulfil our mission of care for all. Sunil Singh, Founder and CEO, UnivLabs Technologies, reveals more about how is the company is helping to solve the unmet medical devices, in interaction with M Neelam Kachhap
Sunil Singh, Founder and CEO, UnivLabs Technologies What inspired you to establish UnivLabs and how the company is solving the unmet medical devices needs globally?
I used to work for a multinational medical equipment firm and had the opportunity to visit a few hospitals during my time there. During one of these visits, I noticed overcrowded and suboptimal infrastructure in a major public run hospital. One of the primary reasons for this deficiency is because the majority of medical devices originate in developed economies which have high input costs, thus remaining costly limiting the widespread and sufficient adaptation in emerging markets. This stirred a thought that India has sufficient intellectual as well as ecosystem capability to indigenously develop and manufacture routine as well as high-end medical equipment. We have already proven our capability in the IT, auto, space, vaccines and Pharma sectors to name a few.
Global firms have set proven benchmarks in technology and quality while the Internet has made knowledge open. A product developed in emerging economies entails lower input cost without quality compromise thus keeping medical devices affordable compared to the ones originating in developed economies. This can help improve infrastructure in both emerging and well-developed economies bringing qualitative benefit to everyone.
India being heavily dependent on imports I realised that by working for global corporations I am personally enriched but not able to make a larger impact on society at large and the healthcare field in general.
With the above insights, UnivLabs was founded, and we set out on a goal to develop cutting-edge, affordable medical equipment for the Indian and global markets to fulfil our mission of care for all. Our current focus is on surgical endo-Vision systems, novel urology surgical consumables and wearable pharma infusion pumps.
What was the rationale behind your move towards a career in medical devices?
The healthcare sector in India is starved of companies making medical devices and we mainly rely on imports. UnivLabs Technologies was founded on the concept of making medical equipment in our own country at a reasonable cost to make India self-sufficient and establish a trade balance.
The import of high-tech medical equipment results in the higher cost of healthcare delivery restricting the transfer of benefits of technology to every Indian. This insight resulted in the formation of UnivLabs Technologies, the vision of which is to provide worldclass novel medical devices for India and the world.
UnivLabs has evolved with the philosophy of adopting 3 A's i.e. accessibility, affordability, and availability. Both developed and emerging markets can benefit from our products. UnivLabs has established the foundation for being a long-term viable Indian medical device player.
How Univlabs’ 4K laparoscopy tower and laparoscopy towers are functioning in the operating rooms in India?
The UnivLabs 4K Laparoscopy Envision System has been validated in India's leading tertiary care hospitals, including Medanta-The Medicity, Fortis, MAX, Manipal, and others. Over 113 multispecialty surgeries have been performed, with an overall surgeon satisfaction rating of 4.3/5 for the product compared to the best in the world.
For more than three years, UnivLabs has been the market leader in laparoscopic tower subcomponents such as light sources, saline pumps, and insufflators, with over 2000 installations in India, the Middle East, and Africa.
What is the current scenario of healthcare innovations in India? What kind of change are you bringing to the Indian healthcare ecosystem?
The Indian healthcare sector is quite vibrant which includes healthcare providers, hospitals and pharmaceuticals. Unfortunate innovations in medical devices lag compared to global benchmarks and we as a country need to do a lot to catch up. The Indian government is supporting these healthcare breakthroughs through several initiatives with programmes
like Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone and many others.
Pandemic has also galvanised the private sector still given the scale and regulations of the healthcare industry the outcome will take time to become visible.
UnivLabs is innovating in the field of surgical endo-vision and urology and we aim to make Indians independent in these fields. We are making these technologies more affordable for widespread adaptation of minimally invasive surgeries.
How will the new policy framed by the ICMR/DHR policy on Biomedical Innovation & Entrepreneurship for medical professionals at medical institutes across India promote startup culture and an innovation-led ecosystem at medical institutes?
We are confident that the ICMR/DHR approach would foster biomedical innovation and entrepreneurship in medical colleges and institutes.
Under this approach, innovators can serve as non-executive directors, scientific advisors, or consultants. They can work on inter-institutional and industrial projects and consultancies alone or through businesses. They may be able to sell technologies to enterprises, resulting in financial gain, commercialisation, and societal benefits. They may be a licensor. The policy allows for sabbaticals for translational corporate work. Innovators can outsource sponsored research and consulting contracts.
What's your plan and vision?
UnivLabs is ideally positioned to develop and market at least ten innovative products with a high impact on health care delivery during the next ten years. The company's objective is to become a medical device industry leader based on significant research. In the next ten years, UnivLabs intends to be among the top 10 medical devices companies in the world. To provide expanded healthcare coverage the entire medical device industry's dynamics must evolve. The existing medical device sector must collaborate to bring in the efficiency and scale of vehicle production to make devices more affordable.
We wish to provide a wide spectrum of medical devices that are both common and groundbreaking. UnivLabs aspires to create a Tesla-style mega factory for medical devices wherein technology will evolve, expand, and be manufactured all under one roof to achieve the highest goal of cost-effectiveness and efficiency.
There is No Shortage of Opportunities for Digital Health Tech Solutions in India
India’s telemedicine market is expected to reach $5.5 billion by 2025, spurred by a rise in teleconsultations, telepathology, teleradiology and e-pharmacy due to the pandemic. Sanjay Bapna, Chief Commercial Officer, MyHealthcare Technologies, reveals more in interaction with M Neelam Kachhap about the future of the market
Last year, and during the pandemic, many people accessed telehealth visits for the first time. What else has changed for telehealth in India?
The last two years of the pandemic have proved to be a defining time for the healthcare sector. The importance of technology, more specifically the use of digital technology in the healthcare sector was brought to the forefront. With lockdowns enforced, OPDs and hospital services closed – the use of digital solutions such as virtual consults, and telemedicine services became game-changers across the healthcare sector. While both patients and doctors struggled at the beginning, both gradually learned and adopted the channel as one of the primary mediums of care delivery. Hospitals and doctors who at first hesitated using telemedicine for a multitude of reasons soon realised its advantages and built services around it.
India’s telemedicine market is expected to reach $5.5 billion by 2025, spurred by a rise in teleconsultations, telepathology, teleradiology and e-pharmacy due to the pandemic, this
has resulted in significant growth in the number of telemedicine platforms in India specifically health tech startups like ours who are using technology at their core to bridge the healthcare delivery gap.
Also, the interest and excitement around telehealth have shifted into areas that historically people didn’t think about. What are your thoughts?
The healthcare sector witnessed a significant increase in demand for virtual consultations, homecare/home isolation services during the second wave, under national lockdowns with OPDs, etc being significantly hampered. Doctors were doing virtual consults till midnight, seven days a week, to keep up with the patient load. It is incredible how they managed to stay afloat during those times.
The last couple of years has helped us understand doctors as well as patients and the nuances of their relationship much better. It has also helped digital health tech platforms to push technological innovations for better diagnosis and treatment where we are now seeing telehealth grow in areas such as dentistry and dermatology as well.
How can hospitals use telehealth to address patients they care for regularly, cancer patients, heart failure patients, hypertension patients, and those that require frequent interaction with the healthcare system?
During these unprecedented times while the world was reeling from the backlash of the pandemic and hospitals and other medical institutions were overcrowded and inaccessible to at-risk patients with comorbidities or those in need of chronic care, telehealth played a huge role in bridging the gap for their care delivery.
To address the needs of patients who need uninterrupted care, teleconsultations at regular intervals came as a saving grace for doctors to keep a track of the treatment plan and manage the care continuum. Health tech companies such as ours that focus on a holistic patient care ecosystem, have provided both doctors and patients with high-end video call facilities to ease the exchange of communication and also helped with an extended availability of doctors' appointment slots throughout the day.
Remote monitoring systems that function in tandem with telehealth systems have assisted in accessing patient vitals and maintaining patients’ historical records via necessary device integrations. For chronic patients, speciality care programmes with long-term care protocols have been implemented and this has revolutionised the process of care delivery through the advancements in telemedicine and telehealth.
Along with telehealth, the focus of startups like ours has been to bring the latest digital technology advancements into the ecosystem to ensure that we can provide functional and user-
friendly solutions to our doctors and healthcare partners.
What is needed for telemedicine to grow in the future, such as reimbursement from insurance companies?
For any hospital in India, before the pandemic or during the pandemic for many many years, a large chunk of patients come from outside of the town that the hospital is in and this percentage would usually be more than 50 per cent and the patients come from as far as 100-150 kilometres. While they do come to the hospital when they have to get admitted but follow up care post-hospital stay is severely hampered because they can’t be coming back to the hospital for follow up visits.
Tele consultations platforms, telehealth platforms and remote monitoring solutions are good solutions to take care of those patients and not lose connection with them. And the care continuum can be maintained by using Telehealth. More and more hospitals should adopt digital technologies for managing patients who come from far off places. And is it not just video consultation, maybe they could be given a device to rent or ask them to buy that device to manage their health locally, the cost of which would be the same as the patient travelling to the hospital five times.
Have you gotten any indication of what will be the government’s approach to telehealth? What policy changes are you watching for?
The government should expand the scope of telehealth purely as an accessibility tool because telehealth today is a wide spectrum of activities. It is not just teleconsultation, it is much
beyond that. You can use IoT devices that are available at the patient’s place and as more and more IoT devices are used by patients that need continuous care management, the cost of devices will also come down. Today those devices are bought by very few people but as digital technology expands, as the usage of telehealth services expands the cost of the device will also come down and you will have more comprehensive remotely managed patients than ever before.
As of today, medical practitioners, clinicians and clinical establishments such as hospitals, clinics and labs are exempted from GST. Start-ups and health tech companies, that are working towards using technology in making healthcare delivery available to a wider population continue to come under the purview of GST. This burden increases the cost of healthcare for our patients across India.
In the coming years, we would hope and request the government to remove GST on healthcare service providers and digital health companies directly involved in the process of care delivery. This would help relieve a whole lot of financial burden on us, allowing us to deliver quality and more affordable healthcare to our patients across the country. This would be more than welcome at a time when our country is going through the third wave of the pandemic.
There have been a lot of concerns about the quality of care in telehealth, what are your thoughts on the same?
I think it is quite the contrary. Telemedicine has evolved from mere doctor consultation to complete healthcare delivery for both acute and chronic care at home. Digital technology is also helping providers and clinicians in making healthcare delivery more personalised, as they are beginning to derive more meaningful and effective patient clinical data. All of this will contribute immensely toward hospitals, clinics and doctors offering effective patient-centric care and improving patient engagement. Good usage of teleconsultation and physical consultation blended is the ultimate
goal. One of the ways to assuage these concerns that we as a health tech company have made a part of our implementation process is to handhold our users during the initial days of adoption.
What is your view of the ecosystem for telemedicine in India? What do you think of telehealth companies going public?
It is no secret that digitisation and adoption of digital technology solutions have been laggard in India. However, COVID-19 along with rapid growth of internet penetration, improvement in data bandwidth speed, reduced cost of digital hardware and improvements in cloud technology have brought about a significant change in the healthcare sector which would need to be backed by adequate financial resources from the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) to enable the digital change. Providers have embraced telemedicine in a big way over the past 18 months and all signs show that this sector alone will grow to $30 billion by 2026.
With a huge headroom for growth, there is no shortage of opportunities for digital healthcare technology solutions in our country. Telemedicine has expanded from mere doctor consultation to complete healthcare delivery for both acute and chronic care at home. Digital technology is also helping providers and clinicians in making healthcare delivery more personalised, as we are beginning to generate more meaningful and effective clinical data of their patients. All of this will contribute greatly to hospitals, clinics and doctors offering more patient-centric care and improving patient engagement.
The increased adoption of digital technology by care providers will improve the access to quality healthcare and make it available to a wider population. Data suggests that a majority population of our country does not have proximal access to quality primary care. Health tech startups like ours partnering with leading hospitals and clinics in creating scalable healthcare ecosystems will be a key driver in democratising healthcare in India.
This being said, there is a good chance of telehealth companies growing steadily and going public eventually.
End of Life Care
How providers help patients shift expectations to make tough medical decisions
By Iowa State University
When confronting the end of life, patients and their loved ones must make difficult decisions about continuing curative treatments or switch to pain management and comfort care.
A newly published study explores how specialised care providers navigate these conversations and help patients optimise their quality of life and mitigate suffering. Using six months of observational data from a hospital in a Midwestern town, the researchers found many of the providers did not dismiss their patients’ emotions or tell patients to feel differently. Rather, they validated their patients’ fear, hope or guilt, and then walked them through the likely outcomes of continuing treatments.
The researchers found this approach led patients to comply with the providers’ suggestions for palliative care 73 per cent of the time. The compliance rate was 43 per cent when providers did not use this style of communication.
“These efforts are not aimed at changing the patients' emotions; they're aimed at changing their expectations,” said Clayton Thomas, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Management and Entrepreneurship, Iowa State University and co-author of the paper published in Organization Studies.
In the paper, Thomas and his coauthor Shibashis Mukherjee, Assistant Professor of Management and Organisation, Ahmedabad University in India, included a conversation between an elderly patient and a member of the care team to highlight what they coined 'feeling rule management.'
The patient faced a decision on whether to sign a “Do Not Resuscitate” order if the patient’s heart stopped pumping. After the care provider explained cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) would likely break the patient’s ribs, causing a slow and painful recovery during the patient’s final days of life, the patient chose to sign the “Do Not Resuscitate” order.
“People often think they should fear death. They may not realize that they should fear the cure, that the treatment to prolong life could cause more suffering or lead to other health problems during a patient’s final days,” said Thomas. Another example of curative care that could lead to additional health complications includes intubation, which creates an artificial airway for patients who cannot breathe on their own. While this procedure can be lifesaving, it also increases the risk of developing pneumonia. In the study, the researchers highlighted a conversation between a doctor and the family of a patient with meningitis who was afraid of dying in a nursing home. The doctor expressed concern that using intubation would cause pneumonia and prevent the patient from fulfilling her wish of living out the rest of her life at home.
The researchers observed this cognitive reframing with another emotion: hope.
“A terminally ill patient may have hope for a cure. A provider may say, ‘Yes, you should have hope, but you should have hope for comfort and relief,’” Thomas explained.
As for guilt, the researchers said many patients switched from feeling guilty about “letting go” to guilt about being a burden to their families during this process of shifting expectations and reevaluation of quality of life.
The researchers shared their study’s findings illustrate a novel way health care providers in the US interact with patients and their families.
“There’s this understanding that, in terms of professional authority, titles and education and status don’t cut it anymore. The idea of ‘Doctor’s orders’ doesn’t carry the same weight as it used to, so providers have to use extra strategies to communicate their expert recommendations to patients,” Thomas explained.
Thomas and Mukherjee are planning a follow-up study that would compare 'feeling rule management' in the US and India.
