IndiaMedToday July 2021

JULY 2021, VOLUME 5 ISSUE 7 `200 INDIA MED TODAY

FEATURED EXPERTS IN THE ISSUE Dr KK Agarwal Dr Manoj Gopalkrishnan J. Mitra & Co.

Covid Care Warriors These outstanding hospitals, individuals and companies are venerated as covid warriors

NU Hospitals Gen Works Nephroplus HMD VS Hospitals Connect 2 My Doctor

JULY 2021

EDIT NOTE www.indiamedtoday.com

Selfless Care Warriors

July 2021 EDITORIAL Editor Neelam Kachhap Sub-Editor Abishek Raj editorial@ indiamedtoday.com ART & PRODUCTION ScreeTract Shylesh

BOARD OF ADVISORS Dr Alexander Thomas Dr Girdhar Gyani Dr Prem Kumar Nair

Till the second week of June, the world had seen 17.8 crore COVID-19 cases and witnessed 38.6 lakhs deaths due to

Dr Bhabatosh Biswas

the devastating pandemic. The much worse second wave

Dr Alok Roy

of COVID-19 exposed the faults in our healthcare system.

Ramesh Kannan

Throughout the past two years, the vulnerability of our

CONSULTING EDITOR Dr Libert Anil Gomes Dr Salil Choudhary

healthcare workers has been tried and tested as the pandemic put a huge physical and psychological burden on them.

According to the WHO, nearly 1,15,000 healthcare workers have died due to Covid since the pandemic began last year.

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And yet, lakhs of healthcare workers continue to risk their lives to save patients every day.

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We hail the healthcare workers, showered flowers on them but little do we know of their

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struggles and frustrations. Many healthcare professionals we spoke to during the past

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year have shared their helplessness due to a lack of means and tools to save lives. We owe them so much and yet many healthcare workers in India, lack basic protection and are attacked mercilessly for doing their job.

These are the heroes of our issue this month. We bring you some of the amazing work

We hope it resonates with a lot of healthcare workers not only in India but around the world. We hail their sacrifices and

in healthcare in the past year.

dedicate this issue to all those warriors who have worked tirelessly to bring peace to the dying and heal our suffering.

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These stories inspire us and encourage all of us to do our part in this ongoing quest

assistance for readers

against COVID-19. This issue is all about our healthcare heroes who are out there, putting

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their lives on the line and who continue to struggle with the challenges that COVID-19 presents every single day. We salute them. We honour them. We respect them.

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Editor M Neelam Kachhap

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JULY 2021

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CONTENTS

17

Facebook

Linkedin

31

29

FEATURE

APPROACH

MARKET INTERVIEW

Ohana One

Future of Medical Education in India

Steady Growth

33 OPINION

Can the current COVID-19 vaccines provide herd immunity?

19 COVER STORY

Covid Warriors

UPFRONT

03 Editorial 05 Letters 06 News Roundup 35 Start-Up Talk 37 From The Heart www.indiamedtoday.com

CHECKIT OUT ONLINE

LETTERS

N

ormally a day to be celebrated with much vigour & zeal, I can’t help but feel disheartened thinking about the numerous noble souls from our medical fraternity who left for heavenly abode, most of them much before their time. Their loss is deeply unfortunate and yet a matter of immense pride and inspiration for the medical community at large. History

shall bear witness that when the time came and humanity needed to be saved, it was the doctors who stepped up to answer the call of duty.

Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare

The healthcare industry is undergoing rapid transformation,

Doctors are the torch-bearers of a nations’ health, playing a vital

especially in this disruptive era. Doctors are the biggest gift to

role in keeping the population free of diseases. But, their hectic

society. As responsible citizens of the country, we must encourage

work schedules do not allow them to practice what they preach

&

professional

to their patients. On National Doctors Day we wanted to draw

who are working relentlessly round the clock to mitigate the

attention to the health quotient of our medical fraternity and urge

pandemic situation. I pay my heartfelt tribute to every doctor,

them to care for themselves while addressing the health of their

nurse, support staff who are all front line warriors across the

patients.

whole-heartedly

support

every

healthcare

country and are working tirelessly at this time of pandemic for total care of the patients and to keep the country safe.

Dr Alok Roy, Chair FICCI Health Services Committee & Chairman of Medica Group of Hospitals

Dr Arbinder Singal, Co-Founder and CEO, Fitterfly Today we celebrate this day at a time when the Coronavirus has brought the role of healthcare and doctors in prominence. Doctors have been at the forefront of the fight against COVID–19. While

Usually, we celebrate but today we observe in remembrance of

most of the professions went into the work-from-home mode, this

all the sacrifices made by the health care workers. There is a

is one profession where more and more professionals have been

need to boost our healthcare workers during this pandemic. It’s a

recruited for in-person work. Dressed in full bodysuits, the doctors

new challenge with the pandemic. More disorders are coming to

have taken the coronavirus pandemic head-on and helped India

light with containment and isolation including domestic violence,

through two disastrous waves of the pandemic over a year and a

depressive symptoms and social phobia. There are more cases

half. The fight hasn’t been without sacrifice. India lost over 1500

of suicide as well among patients as well as health staff. Social

doctors to COVID-19 during the pandemic. Today is a day when

isolation has affected us all.

we remember their invaluable sacrifices during selfless service.

Dr OT Lepcha, Head, Forensic Department, STNM Hospital, Sikkim

Prof Jagat Ram, Director PGIMER

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NEWS ROUNDUP FM announces Rs 23 cr additional investment in health sector

Manipal Hospitals buys 100% stake in Vikram Hospital

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman recently announced Rs 23,220 crore investment in the public health sector.

Sitharaman emphasised the funding for short-term HR augmentation through medical students (interns, residents, final year) and nursing students, increase the availability of ICU beds, oxygen supply at central, district and sub-district level, adequate availability of equipment, medicines; access to teleconsultation; ambulance services and enhance testing capacity and supportive diagnostics, strengthen capacity for surveillance and genome sequencing. Besides, she announced Rs 1.1 lakh crore guarantee scheme for coronavirus affected sectors.

Out of the Rs 1.1 lakh crore guarantee scheme, the healthcare sector will get Rs 50,000 lakh crore sector.

Manipal Hospitals has entered into a definitive agreement with Multiples, a private equity firm, for a 100 per cent acquisition of Bengaluru-based Vikram Hospital.

The announcement comes close on the heels of its acquisition of the India operations of Columbia Asia Hospitals in April 2021. Dr Ranjan Pai, Chairman, Manipal Education and Medical Group (MEMG) said, “We are delighted to welcome Vikram Hospital into our network. Manipal Hospitals has been the top-ranked healthcare provider in Bengaluru for over two decades and this addition is a reiteration of our commitment to meet the healthcare needs of the city and the region. Two greenfield hospitals are currently under construction and once they are complete in the next 24 months, our network of 12 hospitals with over 2,300 beds would be best placed to provide ease of access and comprehensive care to everyone across this city.”

Sun Pharma signs agreement with Ferring Pharmaceuticals The wholly-owned subsidiary of Sun Pharmaceutical Industries has entered into a license agreement with Ferring Pharmaceuticals (Ferring), a subsidiary of Switzerland-based biopharmaceuticals MNC Ferring Pharmaceuticals, to commercialise a Room Temperature Stable (RTS) formulation of the obstetric drug, CARITEC (Carbetocin RTS) in India.

CARITEC is indicated for the prevention of excessive bleeding in women after vaginal or caesarean childbirth. The condition is commonly known as postpartum haemorrhage (PPH).

Roche Diabetes Care appoints Omar Sherief Mohammad as Head of IMEA Roche has appointed Omar Sherief Mohammad as Head India, Middle East & Africa (IMEA) within the Roche Diabetes Care (RDC) Global Commercial Organisation, based in Mumbai. Before this appointment, Omar has been General Manager RDC

6

July 2021

Omar Sherief Mohammad, Head India, Middle East & Africa (IMEA), Roche Diabetes Care India since September 2019. Mohammad will play a key role in the shaping and executing of the overall commercial Go-To-Market Strategy, responsible for setting the strategic direction for IMEA, in alignment with the Global Commercial Organisation as well as the overall RDC strategy. In this newly created role, he will have direct oversight of IMEA and the RDC General Managers/Country Heads of these markets will directly report to him. Omar will also be General Manager in India.

NATHEALTH signs MoU with ACHE NATHEALTH-Healthcare Federation of India signed an MoU with The American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE).

Under this agreement, both federations will mutually strengthen healthcare systems by developing and providing leadership education and development experiences that will help in preparing healthcare professionals to become clinical leaders and improve patient care. The collaboration will bring in educational opportunities through inperson interactions, such as the Annual Congress on Healthcare Leadership. The partnership aims to provide a knowledgesharing platform that will enable different stakeholders to find solutions to the barriers of access to quality healthcare, ways to improve patient outcomes and attain executive positions in healthcare settings and national medical societies.

Pharma majors collaborate for clinical trial of Molnupiravir Cipla, Dr Reddy’s, Emcure, Sun Pharma and Torrent will collaborate for the clinical trial of the investigational oral anti-viral drug Molnupiravir for the treatment of mild COVID-19 in an outpatient setting in India.

Between March and April this year, these five pharma companies had individually entered into a non-exclusive voluntary licensing agreement with Merck Sharpe Dohme (MSD) to manufacture and supply Molnupiravir to India and over 100 low and middle-income countries (LMICs). The five pharma companies have entered into a collaboration agreement, wherein the parties will jointly sponsor, supervise and monitor the clinical trial in India. As per the directive of the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization, Dr Reddy’s will conduct the clinical trial using its product, and the other four pharma companies will be required to demonstrate equivalence of their product to the product used by Dr Reddy’s in its clinical trial.

sessions, self-help content (informative videos, articles, habit hacks, guided meditation videos), and self-assessment tools on a variety of topics including, work-related challenges, parenting and relationship issues, wellness, and selfdevelopment. At present, REACH platform offerings are open to all healthcare workers – clinicians, nurses, lab professionals, and patient navigators.

BeatO launches glucose monitoring prog for diabetes care BeatO

has

launched

a

flash

glucose

monitoring programme for better datadriven prevention, control and reversal of diabetes. This will enable users to better assess their relationship with food and get targeted diet, lifestyle and medication

Portea Medical collaborates with Govt of Karnataka SureForm60 Stapler

Intuitive launches robotic-assisted surgical stapler SureForm Intuitive India, the India arm of Intuitive, a global technology leader in minimally invasive care and the pioneer of roboticassisted surgery (RAS), has launched a robotic-assisted surgical stapler called SureForm that comes equipped with SmartFire technology-an integrated software. With 1,000+ measurements per second, SmartFire makes automatic adjustments to the firing process as staplers are being formed and as the transection is being made to help optimise a consistent staple line and prevent tissue damage across a range of tissue thicknesses.

Portea Medical has partnered with the Government of Karnataka to support the recovery and care unit in the covid affected rural areas. To begin with, Portea has identified a 50 bedded community health centre at Konanur, Arkalgud taluk, Hassan District Karnataka. The company has partnered with an NGO called DFY for this first-of-its-kind initiative, which will be extended to other areas going forward. Portea is servicing 15 PHCs in and around the area and Portea has been able to make a huge difference in terms of providing care. Many more such centres will be established in the weeks ahead. The centres will have 24-hour oxygen support and HDU beds equipped with BiPAP machines and backed up with oxygen concentrators.

counselling from BeatO’s team of doctors and experts based on their FGM data. A flash glucose monitor uses a sensor that is placed on the back of the upper arm and worn externally by the user, allowing glucose information to be monitored using an FGM reader. Data from the FGM will enable healthcare professionals at BeatO to observe trends and provide patientspecific insights to achieve targeted HbA1c levels. BeatO will be using the FGM devices of Abbott, the world leader in sensorbased technology.

Skanray Technologies files draft papers for Rs 400-crore IPO Medical devices manufacturer Skanray Technologies herring

has

filed

prospectus

its

draft

red

(DRHP)

with

the

markets regulator Sebi for its initial public offering (IPO) and is looking to raise Rs

Roche Diagnostics launches REACH for health workers Roche Diagnostics India has launched REACH, a wellness platform developed to support the emotional well-being of healthcare professionals. REACH aims to be a trustworthy companion for frontline workers to seek advice and help from professional counsellors while having access to tailored self-care content to support their emotional wellbeing holistically. REACH is an initiative to help healthcare professionals cope with difficulties and challenges in their life more efficiently. Through REACH, healthcare workers can have access to counselling

Portea volunteer interacting with a patient

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NEWS ROUNDUP 400 crore, reports said. The IPO will

will be utilised by IITR towards the funding

include a secondary share sale, wherein

of an Institute Chair Professorship, two

its promoters and existing private equity

new faculty Fellowships and one Institute

investor Ascent Capital are expected to

Research Fellowship; establishment of a

sell a part of their stakes.

wet-lab in IITR and funding of joint medical research projects. The first project under

PharmEasy to acquire 66.1 per cent stake in Thyrocare

this agreement has already been identified and it is in the area of bipolar disease.

API Holdings (API), the parent co of digital healthcare brand, (PharmEasy), founded

by Dharmil Sheth, Dhaval Shah, Harsh

PNB Vesper to conduct Phase III clinical trials on covid drug

Parekh, Hardik Dedhia and Siddharth

Kerala-based PNB Vesper has received

Shah, announced the signing of definitive

DCGI permission to conduct the final phase

documents to acquire 66.1 per cent stake

3 clinical trials. After a detailed deliberation

in

(Thyrocare)

by the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) on

from Dr A Velumani and affiliates for Rs

the Phase 2 Clinical Trial results of PNB-

1,300 per share aggregating to Rs 4,546

001 (GPP-BALACOVIN), the company has

crores.

Thyrocare

The

Technologies

to

now been given a green signal to conduct a

regulatory and other applicable customary

transaction is

subject

nationwide multi-centred Phase 3 Clinical

approvals. Docon Technologies, a 100

Trial on hospitalised COVID-19 patients

per cent subsidiary of API, will be the

with oxygen support. The Phase 3 trial will

acquirer and shall make an open offer

be conducted on a large patient population

for an additional 26 per cent stake. Dr A

in 12 hospitals all over India. GPP-

Velumani will be separately acquiring a

BALACOVIN is a novel and safe drug that

minority non-controlling stake, of less

possesses significant efficacy to save the

than 5 per cent in API as part of a series

hospitalised patients with oxygen support,

of equity investments by existing and new

from the deadly coronavirus.

investors of API.

Artio Medical appoints Abhinav Shukla to Board of Directors Artio Medical has appointed Abhinav Shukla to the company’s Board of Directors.

Shukla joins Artio with more than a decade of experience in transforming operational systems and driving revenue growth in high potential companies. Before his board appointment, Shukla served as a major investor and strategic advisor to the company.

Dr Raghavendra Babu joins Cytecare Hospital Cytecare

Hospitals

8

July 2021

the

as Consultant – Gastrointestinal & HPB Surgery. Before working with Cytecare, Dr Raghavendra worked as the Senior

SKAN Medical research trust grants Rs 20 cr to IIT Roorkee Ashok Soota promoted SKAN Medical research trust announced a grant of Rs 20 Cr to IIT Roorkee towards sponsoring a Chair Professorship, three faculty fellowships, creation of a lab and funding of joint research projects. The grant of Rs 20 crore

announced

appointment of Dr Raghavendra Babu

Consultant and Head of Hepatobiliary, Pancreas and Liver Transplant at HCG Hospital in Bangalore. He has led the highest volume of liver and pancreas surgery units in Karnataka. Dr Raghavendra holds various lifetime memberships with paramount associations such as the Indian Medical Association, Association of Surgeons of India, and International Hepato-Pancreato Biliary Association (IHPBA). He has written various articles and contributed to publications in international peer-reviewed journals.

Ethicon launches ENSEAL X1 curved jaw tissue sealer Ethicon, part of the Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies, announced the launch of the ENSEAL X1 Curved Jaw Tissue Sealer, a new advanced bipolar energy device that increases procedural efficiency and provided stronger sealing and better access to more tissue than LigaSure Maryland. The device is indicated for colorectal, gynaecological, bariatric surgery and thoracic procedures. The ENSEAL X1 Curved Jaw is the first of several new advanced laparoscopic bipolar devices the company plans to launch in the coming months as it expands its extensive energy portfolio, which includes marketleading HARMONIC ultrasonic devices and MEGADYNE core electrosurgical tools.

Among the ENSEAL X1 Curved Jaw’s new features are separate seal and cut capabilities, a 360-degree continuous shaft rotation that enables easy access to targeted tissue,4 and Ethicon’s Adaptive Tissue Technology, which enables the device to continuously sense changes in the condition of the tissue and respond accordingly with the optimal amount of energy to minimise lateral thermal spread.

These features, including improved ergonomics and a one-handed operation, combine to offer precision, a secure seal and more intuitive and simplified use that may deliver greater efficiency in the operating room.

Augnito appoints Sahil Deswal as CMO Dr Raghavendra Babu

Healthcare

tech

innovator

Augnito

that GI physicians need while performing advanced procedures. The platform was recently installed at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and is currently being leveraged by clinicians along with the rest of Fujifilm’s endoscopic imaging portfolio, which was purchased and installed earlier this year.

Stratbeans launches sale enablement solution

Sahil Deswal has roped in Sahil Deswal as the chief marketing officer for the brand. Deswal will be responsible for leading marketing strategy including digital media strategy and advertising as well as brand growth with a strong focus on global brand building. Augnito has been trailblazing the healthcare technology space with its one of its kind voice AI offering. Deswal comes with over a decade of experience and has played an instrumental role in driving marketing and growth efforts for brands across e-commerce, media and entertainment, content, digital agencies and online services. Before joining Augnito, Deswal was VP – Marketing, Growth & Monetisation at Trell. In his previous stints, he has also worked with Unilodgers as VP – Global Growth & Marketing and as Head – Growth & Marketing at Times Internet for News & Gaming Business.

Fujifilm launches system integration platform designed for endoscopy suites FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA has launched a systems integration platform designed specifically to enhance the image and data integration in endoscopy suites.

Through specially designed hardware and software configurations, this scalable solution enables the multi-video and image routing and display capabilities

Stratbeans, the provider of AI-based online learning solutions, has launched Atum Sales Plus, a new-age sales enablement solution powered by AI for the pharmaceuticals industry. The employment of Atum Sales Plus will equip the sales professionals in the pharma segment with better skills and technology, which would enhance their sales-readiness, leading to improved customer engagement and in turn, higher revenue generation. The new sales enablement platform would allow faster onboarding of new sales team, provide remote coaching and practice opportunities, generate personalised training modules along with offering extensive AI-based performance support in the form of a reference library. All this would greatly enhance the efficiency of the sales personnel and enable them to deliver value-based selling experiences successfully.

Paytm opens health and wellness store Paytm announced the launch of its dedicated health and wellness store for search, discovery and ordering of COVID-related products and services across top Indian health apps to fight the pandemic. Users can now avail the services of different health apps without downloading them. Paytm’s Mini App store now gives users one-click access to a large selection of health supplements, essential vitamins, immunity boosters and ayurvedic medicines through top health tech platforms including 1mg, Netmeds, Apollo 24×7, DocsApp/Medibuddy, Zyla, Mfine and Credihealth among others.

Through the integration of these apps, Paytm is helping users search and book doctor consultations, pathology services, buying medicines, immunity boosters, and

opting for health insurance among other pandemic essentials.

J Mitra and Company launches EAT J Mitra and Company has launched the COVID-19 Ag Microlisa Elisa Test kit (Elisa Antigen Test (EAT)) for the Indian market.

The test kit will provide better time efficiencies by reducing the turnaround time between testing and results to just two hours. The principle of the test kit is Sandwich Elisa and any open Elisa kit Reader available in the market can read the results. Open-system will result in efficient testing even in the remotest corners of the country. The COVID-19 Ag Microlisa Elisa Test kit has been designed for the in-vitro qualitative detection of COVID-19 nucleocapsid antigen in nasal and oropharyngeal swabs and sample diluent. The Elisa Antigen COVID-19 test offers high sensitivity and specificity, and accuracy equivalent to RT-PCR tests.

The combination of low cost, speed, and accuracy makes the Elisa Antigen Covid-19 Test kit a powerful solution for the diagnostic labs to fast-pace India’s comprehensive monitoring and detection process. All necessary approvals from ICMR and DCGI have been received.

Janani launches home-collection semen testing kit Janani, an end-to-end reproductive health and sexual wellness solutions platform, has

launched

first-of-its-kind

at-home

advanced DIY semen testing kits. The athome semen collection would help more men feel comfortable with fertility testing and encourage them to step forward for the same. Currently, the services are limited to Bengaluru but will be extended to Mumbai by July. Led by Dr SS Vasan, Co-founder, Janani and former Founding Chairman of Manipal Fertility, Janani has developed a unique media that can store a sample without any damage to the sperms for up to eight hours in non-laboratory conditions, thus providing enough time for the samples to be collected from homes and then brought to the laboratories.

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NEWS ROUNDUP 10-beds are dedicated for ICU services and 20-beds for the High Dependency Units (HDU) ward. The hospital will also have areas for triage, donning and doffing, pharmacy, laboratory, rest areas, nurse stations and meeting rooms for medical staff. The DFY team will comprise specialist and generalist doctors, paramedics, and facility management staff. Boeing’s funding will also provide medical equipment, including CT scanners, ventilators, oxygen cylinders and concentrators, flow meters, and ambulances to the hospital.

Rotary Dialysis Centre opens at Grand Port Hospital in Mumbai Dr Pradeep Mahajan

Dr Pradeep Mahajan of StemRx receives European Global Health & Pharma Award Dr Pradeep Mahajan of StemRx, a regenerative researcher and stem cell medicine expert, has received European Global Health & Pharma Award from a UK-based firm. The UK-based firm Global Health and Pharma lauded those individuals and companies going above and beyond, to come up with breakthrough innovations and giving their valuable contribution to the science community.

Boeing, Doctors for You, SELCO Foundation set up covid-care centre Boeing India with Doctors for You (DFY) and SELCO Foundation have established a 100 oxygenated bed facility at Karnataka State Power Corporation Ltd. (KSPCL), Yelahanka, to treat mild-to-moderate COVID-19 cases and support existing hospitals in the region. Boeing India has funded the facility, Doctors for You – is providing the necessary staff and care, SELCO Foundation has set up the prefabricated facility. KSPCL provided the land necessary to set up the hospital. The hospital was built from the ground up in less than 20 days. Of the 100-oxygen beds,

10

July 2021

Rotary Dialysis Centre was recently inaugurated at the Grand Port Hospital (Formerly known as Mumbai Port Trust Hospital) located at Wadala East, Mumbai.

The dedicated Rotary Dialysis Centre of 11 machines and beds is set up in two zones. Eight beds and machines for regular patients in Zone 1 and 3 beds and 3 machines in zone 2 for high-risk patients.

Each zone has separate toilets, washing areas, nursing stations with special patients monitoring systems. These 11 machines are donated by the Rotary Club of Bombay Seacoast with a grant supported by Rotary Foundation (India). The rotary dialysis centre was inaugurated by Rotary District Governor Rtn Sunnil Mehra, President, Kishor Masurkar and Past President Ashok Mehra in the presence of Rotary District Governor Nominee 22/23 Rtn. Sandip Agarwala, Medical Director for Ajeenkya DY Patil Group, Dr Priya Patil Cholera and a large number of rotarians/donors of Rotary Club of Bombay Seacoast, Rotarians from USA and Rotarians of other rotary clubs of Mumbai.

Great Place to Work Institute recognises Siemens Healthineers India Siemens Healthineers India has been recognised by the Great Place to Work Institute as one of India’s best workplaces in the healthcare sector, in their 2021 rankings and is identified among ‘India’s Top 100 Best Companies to Work For

-2021’, in the largest workplace culture study in the country. Few factors affirming the trust of employees include creating an ecosystem of trust, high-performance culture and imbibing aspects of credibility, respect, fairness, pride and camaraderie among the employees.

QCI launches ICMED Plus Scheme The Quality Council of India (QCI) and the Association of Indian Manufacturers of Medical Devices (AiMeD) have added further features to the ICMED, the Scheme that had been launched for Certification of Medical Devices in 2016. The ICMED 13485 PLUS, as the new scheme has been christened, will undertake verification of the quality, safety and efficacy of medical devices. The ICMED 13485 PLUS Scheme was recently launched digitally. The Chairperson, Quality Council of India graced the occasion along with other dignitaries.

ICMED 13485 Plus has been designed to integrate the quality management system components and product-related quality validation processes through witness testing of products concerning the defined product standards and specifications. This is the first scheme around the world in which quality management systems along with product certification standards are integrated with regulatory requirements.

This scheme will be an end to end quality assurance scheme for the medical devices sector in India.

CSIR partners with Tata MD for COVID-19 detection The Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Tata MD, the new healthcare venture from the Tata Group have announced a significant partnership to ramp up the COVID-19 testing capacity across Tier II and III towns as well as rural areas across India. CSIR and Tata MD are developing this capacity to manage any future surge in the COVID-19 testing requirements. The initiative will utilise CSIR’s network of labs across India and help increase India’s testing capacity in smaller locations in the country. CSIR and Tata MD will jointly develop the testing

capacity and the RT-PCR CRISPR test will be done using the Tata MD CHECK SARSCoV-2 test kits that are powered by FELUDA technology from CSIR-IGIB.

Malaysia-based Carepool Asia launches affordable digital health packages CAREPOOL ASIA, a comprehensive digital health SaaS-based platform, has launched its new, affordable digital health packages, the first telehealth platform that offers unlimited consultation services via a monthly subscription fee, as low as RM170 per month for the initial two users, with additional users can be added on-demand. Carepool Asia aims to provide multi-disciplinary telehealth with unlimited online appointments based on the total of subscribed users through a flexible monthly subscription scheme. A digital medical consultation platform that provides better healthcare services via phone and video calls with our highly experienced GP doctors, dietitian’ or mental health experts. The team consists of accredited, highly experienced, and passionate medical/health consultants.

Users can access and manage healthcare services, personal medical consultation, and conduct an online professional triage before their teleconsultations.

Celemics partners with Strand Life Science Celemics has partnered with Strand Life

Sciences, to develop a bioinformatics solution capable of providing users with an accelerated means of producing highquality, in-class clinical genomics reports and enabling a complete sample-toanswer solution, including assay-specific variant filters. Under the agreement, Strand Life Science will integrate the Celemics bioinformatics pipeline into the StrandOmics tertiary analysis platform to enable Celemics with a complete sample-to-report solution. Leveraging the StrandOmics platform, Celemics plans to serve an expanding global market with clinical-grade data compliance and guaranteed data residency for customers in Europe, Asia, and beyond. Under the agreement, Strand Life Science will integrate the Celemics bioinformatics pipeline into the StrandOmics tertiary analysis platform to enable Celemics with a complete sample-to-report solution.

Leveraging the StrandOmics platform, Celemics plans to serve an expanding global market with clinical-grade data compliance and guaranteed data residency for customers in Europe, Asia, and beyond.

Abbott launches medical device for premature babies having heart issues Abbott has launched its Amplatzer Piccolo Occluder in India, a medical device that can be implanted in the tiniest babies (weighing as little as 700 gms) using a minimally invasive procedure to treat

patent ductus arteriosus, or PDA. The Amplatzer Piccolo, a device even smaller than a small pea, now offers hope to premature infants and newborns who need corrective treatment, and who may be non-responsive to medicine and are at high risk to undergo corrective surgery.

3M Littmann Stethoscopes, Eko collaborates 3M Littmann Stethoscopes have collaborated with Eko. The 3M Littmann CORE Digital Stethoscope will offer clinicians access to both analogue and digital auscultation options and connects to Eko’s software and AI algorithms to help clinicians better interpret sounds and detect heart murmurs. The 3M Littmann CORE Digital Stethoscope can connect to Eko software, including its heart murmur AI1 and its telemedicine software, enabling enhanced in-person or remote patient care.

Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation launches new website The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) has launched a new website, pulmonaryfibrosis.org, for the more than 200,000 Americans impacted by pulmonary fibrosis (PF), a group of debilitating lung diseases. The site features educational resources and tools to help patients learn more about their

Amplatzer Piccolo Occluder

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11

NEWS ROUNDUP diagnosis and to locate care, clinical trials, and support. In addition, healthcare professionals will find continuing medical information materials and research opportunities on the site. The new website was funded through a grant from Three Lakes Foundation. Patient resources on the new site include disease education videos and webinars, fact sheets on the types of pulmonary fibrosis, and a pulmonary rehabilitation toolkit. A medical care and support group finder provides users with the closest PFF Care Center Network sites and support group locations. The Clinical Trials section offers a searchable tool for users to identify relevant and feasible clinical trials. Users can read about the latest news from the PFF and learn about ways to donate and volunteer with the Foundation.

Roche Diabetes Care signs MoU with RILM for diabetes care Roche Diabetes Care (RDC) India has signed an MoU with Rotary India Literacy Mission (RILM) to conduct diabetes screening camps for the underprivileged across India, to drive early detection of diabetes and to increase awareness about its management.

During the pilot phase of the project, a total of 300 screening camps will be organised in six states- Maharashtra, UP, Sikkim, WB, Telengana, Karnataka – over six months. This will later be scaled up to include the rest of the country in a phased approach. A soon as the situation permits, RILM will organise diabetes detection screening camps for the underprivileged, with a focus on schoolchildren and their parents at government-aided schools. RDC will support RILM by providing glucometer kits, test strips and lancets for early detection and diagnosis of diabetes.

IIT Bombay, Koita Foundation launch new centre for digital health IIT Bombay has set up the ‘Koita Centre for Digital Health’ (KCDH) with contribution received from its alumni Rekha and Rizwan Koita, under the aegis of the Koita Foundation. KCDH will be the first-of-itskind in India, focussed on driving academic

12

July 2021

programmes, research and industry collaboration in digital health. KCDH and its digital health partners will establish joint academic and research programmes.

In addition, KCDH will actively collaborate with healthcare technology companies, healthcare NGOs and government organisations.

Lupin’s UK subsidiary receives marketing authorisation for Luforbec Lupin announced that its UK subsidiary, Lupin Healthcare (UK) has received approval from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to market Luforbec (beclometasone dipropionate/formoterol fumarate dihydrate) 100/6 µg pressurised metered-dose inhaler (pMDI), the first branded generic of Fostair (beclometasone dipropionate/formoterol fumarate dihydrate) 100/6 µg pMDI, which has the potential to offer significant cost savings for the NHS.Luforbec 100/6 µg pMDI is indicated for regular treatment of asthma and the symptomatic treatment of patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (FEV1 <50 per cent predicted normal).

IIT Ropar develops power-free CPAP device Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar has developed a device ‘Jivan Vayu’ which can be used as a substitute for CPAP machine.

The

device

functions

even

without

electricity and is adapted to both kinds of oxygen generation units like O2 cylinders and oxygen pipelines in hospitals. These provisions are not available in otherwise existing CPAP machines. Fulfilling all the medically required parameters, this leakproof, low-cost CPAP delivery system, Jivan Vayu is designed for a 22mm CPAP closed-circuit tube. It can even be customised as per the size of the tube.

Since it can run during power failures, this can be used to safely transport a patient.

Pune-based startup develops anti-viral masks Pune-based start-up firm Thincr Technologies India has developed masks coated with anti-viral agents known otherwise as virucides. The virucidal mask project is among the earliest projects to have been selected for commercialisation

by Technology Development Board (TDB), a statutory body of the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, as part of the Government’s fight against COVID-19. Thincr Technologies with support from Merck Life Sciences developed the masks. The coating formulation has been utilised to coat the fabric layer and the 3D printing principle was employed to achieve uniformity of coating. The coated layer can be incorporated as an additional layer in N-95 masks, 3-Ply masks, simple cloth masks, 3D printed or other plastic cover masks, along with reusable filters. These masks thus provide additional protection beyond the protection achieved by filtration mechanisms.

LV Prasad Eye Institute ties up with global partners LV Prasad Eye Institute in collaboration with the Queen’s University of Belfast, along with nearly 30 other partners from the US, the UK, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and India, is working on a suite of studies to explore the impact of vision care on the global level to achieve Sustainable Development Goals in low and middle-income countries. The study has received funding support of £3.5 million from the Wellcome Trust and Chen YetSen Family Foundation. Led by Professor Nathan Congdon of Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) in the UK and Dr Rohit Khanna of the LV Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI), various universities, schools non-

Mobile lab

government organisations, public health

facility in Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP) of SAIL

bodies, government ministries, institutions

in Chhattisgarh. This hospital is equipped

and patient groups are part of the multidisciplinary

study

team.

From

LVPEI,

Senior Public Health Specialists – Dr Srinivas Marmamula and Asha Latha Metla and Senior Retina Consultant – Dr Raja Narayanan are also part of the study.

with gaseous oxygen and has been set up after laying a pipeline of 1.5 Km for the supply of gaseous oxygen from the plant.

This is the first phase of this project which aims to scale up to reach a total of 500 oxygenated beds in the subsequent two

Cipla Health launches TV commercial on Prolyte ORS

more phases. The centre has a facility

Prolyte ORS, the professional rehydration

is also equipped with necessary Internet

brand of Cipla Health, has launched a new

and telecom

TVC to educate Indians about the glucose-

requirements and remote consultancy.

of double oxygen backup supply. Apart from gaseous oxygen as the main source, there is also a provision of backup of stored liquid medical oxygen. The facility services

to

facilitate

IT

electrolyte solution called Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS), its correct formulation and its appropriate usage to keep dehydration at bay. Prolyte ORS offers a healthy blend of

ICPA eyes geriatric market

ingredients entailing a unique scientific

ICPA Health Products has scaled up its

formulation recommended by the WHO

presence

which helps in fluid maintenance in the

management

products

range

body leading to speedy recovery within

elderly.

company

has

the confines of your home.

denture adhesives and denture cleansers

Bhilai Steel Plant opens 114-bedded covid care facility

in The

the

easy-to-use

denture for

the

developed

that help hold dentures securely and help clean the dentures to remove food remnants, plaque film and stains from the denture surface. With a significant number of urban and semi-urban citizens above

Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural

the age of 65 in the State, ICPA is looking

Gas & Steel Dharmendra Pradhan virtually

to offer a convenient denture maintenance

inaugurated a 114-bedded covid care

routine for this section of the population.

Trivitron Healthcare launches mobile labs for COVID-19 testing Trivitron Healthcare announced the launch of mobile laboratories for covid testing to facilitate COVID-19 diagnostics in urban, rural areas and far-flung geographies.

Andhra Pradesh Medtech Zone Ltd (AMTZ) and Kalam Institute of Health Technology (KIHT) are the knowledge partners along with Trivitron Healthcare to facilitate the deployment of these mobile laboratories in various regions across the country.

ICMR approves Meril’s CoviFind Gujarat-based global medtech company Meril has received the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) approval for its self-use Rapid Antigen Test for COVID-19, CoviFind. The CoviFind test delivers results swiftly, providing accurate results in just 15 minutes. Additionally, the test does not have any specific storage or refrigeration requirements, thus driving ease and convenience in distribution. The test is priced at ₹250 and will be made available as an affordable single-pack, with additional purchase options including a pack of 3, 5 and 25 tests. Each test kit is equipped with testing materials including a test device, one sterile nasal swab and a pre-filled buffer tube with a cap.

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13

NEWS ROUNDUP demonstrated a low-cost sensor that can detect fragments of the virus responsible for COVID-19 within the wastewater. The technique, published in the journal Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, could be used to enable widespread monitoring of COVID-19 prevalence in low- and middleincome countries that struggle to conduct mass human testing. The sensor can be used with portable equipment that uses the standard Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus, without the need for the expensive chemicals and lab infrastructure needed for real-time quantitative PCR tests.

The sensor was tested with wastewater collected from a sewage treatment plant in Mumbai spiked with SARS-Cov-2 Ribonucleic Acid (RNA). comprehensive textbook of COVID-19

Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals launches book on COVID-19 Apollo Hospital has unveiled a comprehensive textbook on COVID-19, written and edited by Dr MS Kanwar, Senior Consultant, Department of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals along with 79 other co-authors who are senior healthcare professionals from various specialities. The book has been put together basis statistical insights, scientific data and a plethora of new reports gathered from the World Health Organization and advisories issued by the National Health Services of some of the most COVID-19 impacted countries across the globe. The book also elaborates on vaccination for COVID and the line of treatment for immunocompromised patients with varied co-morbidities and underlying diseases along with other neurological, cardiovascular, endocrinal, renal and paediatric related health issues.

IIT Bombay, University of Strathclyde develop sensor to detect COVID-19 in wastewater Scientists from the University of Strathclyde and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay have

14

July 2021

CORE Diagnostics bags accreditation from CAP CORE Diagnostics has recently received an accreditation certification from the College of American Pathologists (CAP), a leading international laboratory accrediting organisation, based on the results of a recent assessment as part of the CAP’s Accreditation Programs. Commenting on the accomplishment, Dinesh Chauhan, CEO, CORE Diagnostics, said, “This is another step in our company’s expansion plans and towards offering best-in-class diagnostic accuracy while complying with rigorous criteria of quality assurance to all.”

Walnut Medical develops oxygen concentrators

compatibility (EMC), and as per International Safety Standards for oxygen concentrators. The complete mould design, development of all electronics, moulding, control system, sieve tower, and all related parts and accessories has been done in India. It is currently being supplied to various government, defence, military hospitals in India and is also making them available for the general public through its distribution network across India. DST’s support helped them push their endeavour forward. IIT Delhi incubation team worked with them to help the technology see the light of the day.

Lasa Supergenerics launches Oxyclozanide Lasa Supergenerics, which is into the manufacturing of veterinary and human APIs in India through its catalyst chemistry expertise and fully backward integrated unit, has launched Oxyclozanide.

Oxyclozanide is an anthelmintic, it is used in the treatment and control of fascioliasis a topical worm infection in ruminants mainly domestic animals such as cattle (especially buffalos on the farm), sheep, and goats. For this, the company is setting up capacity in a brownfield expansion at its Chiplun unit. The total capacity would be 20 MT and would be funded through internal accruals. The company is committed to funding the entire capex through internal accruals. The production would start from August 2021.

developed 5L and 10L portable medical

Dr Kulleni Gebreyes joins Deloitte Health Equity Institute as director

grade

based

Deloitte has appointed Dr Kulleni Gebreyes

(PSA)

to lead the Deloitte Health Equity Institute

technology in India with an oxygen purity

in the US. In her new leadership role,

of above 96 per cent at a pressure of

Gebreyes, principal, Deloitte Consulting,

55-75 kpa. The company was supported

will lead the overall strategic direction

by CAWACH 2020 grant of the National

of the institute, focusing on improving

Science and Technology Entrepreneurship

health

Development Board (NSTEDB) under the

disparities

Department of Science and Technology

and extending efforts to improve health

(DST), and they developed the world-class

equity by investing in areas that address

Oxygen Concentrator in a year to reduce

the root causes of inequities. Based in

dependence

Mohali-based

on

Walnut

oxygen

pressure

concentrators

swing

adsorption

imports.

has

outcomes by

and

integrating,

decreasing amplifying,

The

oxygen

North Carolina, Gebreyes is Deloitte’s US

for

patient

consulting healthcare sector leader and

safety, electrical safety, electromagnetic

has more than 20 years of experience

concentrators

on

Medical

are

tested

in the healthcare industry, across the commercial and public sector. She has worked with the leading payor, provider, retail and public sector organisations to improve operations, develop strategies for transformation and rethink operational efficiency. Through this work, her deep knowledge of healthcare and her ability to make connections across industries, Gebreyes is uniquely positioned to identify opportunities to impact equity.

Sanjeev Sukumaran joins Syngene International as CHRO Syngene International has appointed Sanjeev Sukumaran as Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO) with effect from June 1, 2021. Sukumaran succeeds Vinita Shrivastava. As the CHRO, Sukumaran will be responsible for building on Syngene’s people-centric organisational development priorities including HR strategy development, driving organisational matrices, talent management and sustaining an inclusive work culture. His focus will be on attracting and nurturing diverse scientific talent and promote innovation, excellence and a passion for making a difference in the lives of millions by putting science to work.

Philips, Elekta deepen strategic partnership in oncology care Royal Philips and Elekta signed agreements to deepen their existing strategic partnership to advance comprehensive and personalised cancer care through precision oncology solutions.

The extended collaboration builds on the two companies’ successful cooperation in the fast-emerging field of magnetic resonance (MR)-guided adaptive radiation therapy. Through deeper cross-portfolio collaboration, Philips and Elekta will utilise their complementary capabilities to further improve patient care.

Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital for Children opens Brace Bank Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital for Children, Parel, Mumbai started India’s first Brace Bank W-riddhi. The hospital is now encouraging parents and doctors to donate used clubfoot braces to the Brace Bank, where they are refurbished and supplied to needy families at a very low cost of Rs 1,500 per child every month under the “Each one treat one scheme”. Clubfoot is the most common musculoskeletal birth deformity affecting about one in 800 children. Wadia Hospital partnered with CURE Clubfoot Worldwide in 2011, a US-based NGO to establish a dedicated Clubfoot Clinic in the hospital premises to provide a protocol-based clubfoot treatment by training doctors in the Ponseti method, providing free clubfoot braces, establishing a prospective clubfoot registry, and setting a 24×7 dedicated clubfoot helpline for parent support. Now, it is taken a step ahead and established India’s first Brace Bank W-riddhi meaning progress.

Tata Digital in $75 million deal with CureFit Healthcare

Sanjeev Sukumaran

Tata Digital, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Tata Sons, has entered a Memorandum of Understanding for an investment of up to $75 million in CureFit Healthcare, subject

to completion of diligence process and other approvals. CureFit Founder and CEO Mukesh Bansal will join Tata Digital in an executive role as President, Tata Digital.

In addition, Bansal will continue in his leadership role at CureFit. Curefit, with its range of fitness & wellness offerings, will help Tata Digital expand into a pro-active health management space.

IISER Bhopal invents technology for precision engineering of proteins Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal Researchers have invented a new technology that can deliver active molecules to specific sections of proteins. Scientists from IISER Bhopal have been conducting studies on the ‘engineering’ of protein molecules for the past few years. The serial technological breakthrough has gained a detailed insight into the chemical features of these molecular machines.

With this understanding, they have designed the first-ever modular platform for the precision engineering of proteins.

The chemical modification of proteins is essential for understanding protein functions and developing therapeutics and diagnostics.

Karnataka ranks third in NITI Aayog’s SDG index Karnataka has improved its ranking in NITI Aayog’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) India Index for 2020-21. The state has been able to improve its position to 72 from 66 last year and has been ranked third in the SDG India index 2020-2021.

The state improved its scores on indicators related to reducing poverty; good health and well-being; gender equality; affordable and clean energy; industry, innovation and infrastructure; sustainable cities and communication; responsible consumption and production; and peace, justice and strong institutions. The state’s score improved in issues related to diseases and mortality rates. However, the score related to the number of physicians, nurses, and midwives per 10,000 people reduced from 72 in 2019-20 to 70 in 2020-21, which according to an expert is a matter

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15

NEWS ROUNDUP of concern, particularly when the state is facing the COVID-19 pandemic.

CSIR India collaborates with Laxai Life Sciences CSIR in collaboration with Laxai Life Sciences has initiated Phase-II clinical trial with the anti-helminitic drug Niclosamide for the treatment of COVID-19. The trial is a multi-centric, phase-II, randomised, openlabel clinical study to evaluate the efficacy, safety and tolerability of Niclosamide for the treatment of hospitalised COVID-19 patients. Niclosamide has been extensively used in past for the treatment of tapeworm’s infection in adults as well as children. The safety profile of this drug has been tested over time and has been found safe for human consumption at different dose levels. Dr Shekhar C Mande, Director General, CSIR expressed his happiness over the SEC recommendations to conduct this Phase II clinical trial using Niclosamide, which is a generic, affordable drug and easily available in India and therefore can

16

July 2021

be made available to our population.

MedPiper Tech launches health-tech products YCombinator-backed innovative healthtech startup MedPiper Technologies has launched an array of health-tech products for the use of healthcare professionals to help them during and after the pandemic in providing better care for their patients.

The new features on MedPiper have been built to improve the overall experience for its end users – medical practitioners, hospitals and healthcare organisations.

These enhancements make the platform be the complete and robust end-toend solution provider that allows the optimisation of the user experience across the entire career lifecycle of a doctor, from the time they graduate from medical college and job hunting to updating and improving their medical knowledge in their opted fields of specialisation.

Mindray launches Resona I9 ultrasound system Mindray has announced the release of its latest general imaging diagnostic ultrasound system, Resona I9, to its suite of general imaging solutions.

With innovations both inside and out, Resona I9 provides accurate and timely answers for clinicians, while delivering outstanding efficiency and a remarkable user experience. Resona I9 was developed based on Mindray’s in-depth insights into complex clinical scenarios and is a stateof-the-art ultrasound system equipped with all the latest technologies. Delivering innovation in every facet, Resona I9 features a customisable control panel, foldable structure to a height of one meter, extended battery life and super silent design — all of which help reduce fatigue to a minimum during scans. Mindray’s revolutionary ZST+ platform powers the system and elevates it to an unparalleled level in its class by delivering exceptional image quality for infinite imaging solutions.

FEATURE

Ohana One Uniting surgeons around the world to bridge the global surgical doctor deficit

Team IMT

Ohana One, a US-based NGO, cultivates high-quality surgical and anaesthesia programmes in developing areas around the world. The organisation promotes collaboration between organisations with similar goals and open pathways for healthcare providers to volunteer their career expertise. Their work is not limited to single mission trips, but to establishing long-term sustainable surgical training programmes utilising mentor relationships and advanced technology, including smart glasses through the Surgical Sight programme.

In doing so, they work alongside surgical providers to undertake increasingly more complex cases to elevate and expand safe self-sustaining surgical care in areas that need it most.

Recently, they shared that announced that the surgical aid and education virtual surgical sight smart glasses programme for the NGO community is now live in 35 countries worldwide.

This is in collaboration with Vuzix Corporation, a leading supplier of Smart Glasses and Augmented Reality (AR) technology and products.

Surgical Sight programme The Surgical Sight programme, which was formally launched in October 2020

by Ohana One, utilises Vuzix Smart Glasses and Help Lightning software to connect surgical mentors in developed areas with surgeons in developing areas around the globe to create training relationships within the surgery. As of June 2021, 835 calls have been placed over Vuzix Smart Glasses which were used to connect more than 100 surgeons across five speciality areas including neurosurgeons, general and colorectal surgeons, adult and pediatric orthopaedic surgeons, and plastic and reconstructive surgeons. The first cohort consisted of 50 surgical teams consisting of mentor and mentee pairs that spanned across five continents and 35 developing countries. The goal is to have the program grow to 1,000 mentor/mentee pairs.

The Surgical Sight programme is the brainchild of Ohana One International Surgical Aid and Education, along with Ohana One cofounder and VP Dr David Kulber, a renowned hand and reconstructive surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Over the last 10 years, Dr Kulber has mentored Dr Pedro Santos, who is one of only three plastic surgeons in all of Mozambique, a country in Africa of over 30 million people. He has been doing so through

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17

FEATURE annual surgical mission trips, and now most recently working closely together year-round utilising Vuzix Smart Glasses technology. During the initial missions, it was immediately recognised that unless there was year-round training for the surgeon, annual missions were not enough to continue working on the surgeon’s skills, as this type of work requires much more frequent mentorship. Thus, the idea of utilising smart glasses technology for remote surgical training began. This technology allowed Dr Kulber to continue to train Dr Santos throughout the year, a key factor in further developing Dr Santos’ skill as a plastic surgeon. This unique training is critical, as surgeons in remote areas of the world struggle without having mentorships to assist in training.

How does it work The surgical mentee can share his or her surgical field directly with the mentor, and the mentor sees what the mentee is seeing live in real-time using the specialised Help Lightning smart glasses software. This technology can take pictures of the live feed, record videos, freeze the image and subsequently write on top of the captured image, and mentors can use their hands to point out areas that need special attention or direction, all as if the mentor was directly operating with the mentee in live time. This enhances the training relationship between the

18

July 2021

mentor and mentee, helping the mentee to further develop their surgical skills.

The smart glasses and software create an environment where the mentor can be available in live time during the surgery, preoperative planning, and postoperative monitoring.

"The main purpose of global surgery is training activities between the mentors and mentees. Because of many reasons from the different regions, time, local laws, restrictions from transportation or COVID pandemic, the experts cannot come and teach us directly. The Vuzix Smart Glasses are becoming an important channel for communication.

We can receive help from our mentors remotely. The glasses work similarly to a smart camera with video call and virtual reality that are suitable in the operating room. We like using these devices to improve the quality of our global surgical programs," says Dr Can from InterSurgeon, an Ohana One partner, Chief of Neurosurgical Department, Children's Hospital 2, Vietnam.

"We are pleased to work together with Ohana One and their growing list of participating surgical teams around the globe to support their virtual Surgical Sight smart glasses programme in their mission to connect 1,000 mentor/ mentee pairs," said Paul Travers, President and CEO of Vuzix. Vuzix is a public company (NASDAQ: VUZI) with offices in Rochester, NY, Oxford, UK, and

Tokyo, Japan. Vuzix holds 192 patents and patents pending and numerous IP licenses in the Video Eyewear field.

Through partnerships with surgical training NGOs including InterSurgeon, Mending Kids, ReSurge International, FIENS, Ruth Paz Fundacion, Steps 2 Walk, and UCLA Health, Ohana One can introduce and empower volunteer mentors surgeons to take part in these virtual surgical missions. This is especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic that has amplified the importance of remote technology in a setting where travel is difficult and dangerous. The training and education that can be gained with Ohana One’s Surgical Sight programme will be an option for NGOs to help bridge the gap and teach mentees needing mentorships in remote countries to develop their surgical technique. Ultimately, the goal is to increase access to surgery by training surgeons in areas of need, affecting thousands of lives in their areas.

The first cohort for the year-long study includes adult and pediatric surgeons from Aga Khan University Hospital, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Children’s Hospital of Alabama, Children’s National Hospital, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Eastbourne District General Hospital, Evergreen Health, New YorkPresbyterian Hospital, Bugando Medical Center, Shriners Hospital for Children, Stanford Medical Center, University of Alabama, and UCLA Medical Center.

The specialities utilising this technology are plastic and reconstructive surgery, general surgery, neurosurgery, orthopaedic surgery, colorectal surgery, and urological surgery. While the first cohort is made up of 20 surgical teams consisting of mentor and mentee pairs that span 16 developing countries, including Armenia, Rwanda, Honduras, India, Kenya, Mozambique, Nepal, Pakistan, Argentina, Peru, South Africa, Zanzibar, Tanzania, Senegal, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe, the goal is to have the program grow to 1,000 mentors/ mentee pairs.

COVERSTORY

Covid Warriors

IMT Team

19

July 2021

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19

COVERSTORY

T

ill the second week of June, the world had seen 17.8 crore COVID-19 cases and witnessed 38.6 lakh deaths due to the devastating pandemic. The much worse second wave of COVID-19 exposed the faults in our healthcare system. Throughout the past two years, the vulnerability of our healthcare workers has been tried and tested as

the pandemic put a huge physical and psychological burden on them. According to the WHO, nearly 1,15,000 healthcare workers have died due to covid since the pandemic began last year. And yet, lakhs of healthcare workers continue to risk their lives to save patients every day.

We hail the healthcare workers, showered flowers on them but little do we know of their struggles and frustrations. Many healthcare professionals we spoke to during the past year have shared their helplessness due to a lack of means and tools to save lives.

We owe them so much and yet many in India lack basic protection and are attacked mercilessly for doing their job.

We hail their sacrifices and dedicate this issue to all those warriors who have worked tirelessly to bring peace to the dying and heal our suffering.

These are the heroes of our issue this month. We bring you some of the amazing work in healthcare in the past year. We hope it resonates with a lot of healthcare workers not only in India but around the world.

20

July 2021

Dr Manoj Gopalkrishnan, Professor, IIT-Bombay

war against the corona pandemic. In the past 18-odd months, J Mitra has

Dr Manoj Gopalkrishnan, a professor at the IIT-Bombay and an expert in mathematics, computational and data science and molecular science, came up with a new COVID testing approach that would save money, time and resources, while

quickly

providing

accurate

results. His research team developed

introduced path-breaking products to cater to various aspects of COVID-19 detection, and most of these products are industry-firsts and industry-leaders in India.

The products include: •

[IgM, IgG, IgA] Microlisa Elisa test

an algorithm called Tapestry that allows

kit

several tests to be screened at the

developed

International

same time using existing kits. Tapestry

jointly

Centre

with

for

the

Genetic

Engineering & Biotechnology (ICGEB)

could accurately identify any positives without the need for additional follow-

India’s first total antibody Covid-19

•

Covid

Kawach

IgG

Microlisa

Covid-19 test kit developed by

up screenings – a breakthrough.

ICMR-NIV

Tapestry’s patented technology was validated with the help of leading

•

COVID-19

Neutralizing

Antibody

research institutions in India and the

Microlisa Elisa Test is India’s first

US. Its innovative approach has been

commercial laboratory test to detect

highlighted

neutralizing

international

by

articles

scientific

in

leading

forums

antibodies

against

like

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes

Nature. Tapestry was named as one of

COVID-19. Virus neutralisation is

the 10 finalists for the XPRIZE Rapid

considered the gold standard for

Covid Testing competition. It has since

determining antibody efficacy.

obtained regulatory approvals and is being deployed across campuses and

•

offers high Sensitivity, Specificity,

offices across the country with the

and accuracy equivalent to RT-PCR

help of reputed labs. Today, through

tests, at costs comparable to Rapid

his startup Algorithmic Biologics, Dr

tests.

Gopalkrishnan is making it possible for offices and campuses to open safely through affordable and regular testing.

Covid-19 Ag Microlisa, Elisa Test kit,

•

COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test

The company also launched two covid test instruments – the Elisa Washer and the Elisa Reader, apart from the other secondary tests for the management of COVID-19, like D-Dimer. Some products

Waging a concerted war against the corona pandemic

are under development or awaiting validations and approvals.

J Mitra utilised several parameters

COVID-19 may have thrown the entire

and factors to drive their technology

world in turmoil, but this is hardly the

decisions:

time to rest or take a back seat for those

sensitivity and specificity, ease of use,

in the healthcare industry.

potency,

accuracy,

infrastructure requirement at the userend, final cost at patient-end, and other

From January 2020 onwards, J Mitra &

similar considerations. As a result, every

Company has been waging a concerted

product introduced by the company

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21

COVERSTORY NU Hospitals - Bengaluru, Shivamogga & Ambur NU Hospitals has three facilities – Padmanabhanagar

and

Rajajinagar,

Bengaluru at Shivamogga and KM NU Hospitals, Ambur - Tamil Nadu The

pandemic

threw

up

unique

challenges for a renal speciality hospital like ours. The following are the steps that we took to successfully tide over the crisis.

One of the difficulties was, last year when the lockdown was announced was to ensure an adequate supply of the needed consumables for dialysis.

Meetings were conducted within the hospital with covid precautions and policies and protocols were devised in every department. The HR devised policies regarding leave and quarantine has the highest ratings in sensitivity and specificity, making them the best performing products in the market.

of

healthcare

governmental

workers

based

on

recommendations

periodically.

Significant credit for these products

Operation theatre devised its policy and

and performances goes to the R&D team

protocol of handling surgical patients.

headed by Lalit Mahajan.

CPR protocol for covid suspects was

With

such

corporate

performance

driven by Jatin Mahajan at the helm as Managing Director, J Mitra & Company has emerged as the company with the highest number of COVID-19 related solutions and

a

available noteworthy

in

the

country

corona

warrior

organisation.

devised ensuring the safety of all health workers. The Hospital Infection Control Committee devised protocols of disinfection, handling covid patients and isolation wards for covid patients were prepared.

Protocols

were

modified

in

the

haemodialysis unit to ensure the safety of all. Covid patients were dialysed separately in a shift without mixing with others. Special covid consents were devised and taken for admission and dialysis. Training and counselling

COVID-19 impact on nephrology and urology services at NU Hospitals

22

July 2021

sessions were conducted for healthcare workers.

The renal transplant was resumed after ensuring that all precautions were taken

Dr Dilip Rangarajan

and the patients received appropriate

Group Medical Director & Sr Consultant

counselling. Renal transplant recipients

Nephrologist

affected

with

covid

were

treated

with appropriate immunosuppression

supports social distancing by enabling

reduction and the use of an antiviral

patients to get basic treatment without

agent.

physically entering a healthcare facility,

Haemodialysis patients afflicted with covid were appropriately treated with antiviral agents and were dialysed in isolation.

All healthcare workers were covered with covid health insurance and were vaccinated with the covid vaccine.

the most effective support is provided for chronic care patients who need periodic interactions with their care providers. This has been ably supported by connecting the care provider and patient with diagnostic facilities (by digitally sending patients their lab test orders), thereby avoiding the mandatory visit to the healthcare facility to get the lab order; and with pharmacies, so that medical prescriptions are delivered in contactless mode.

The compny has built and deployed a

Better healthcare management Connect2MyDoctor has been at the

specific app for use in a COVID ward currently used in Reem Hospital, Abu Dhabi. This enabled every patient to be

forefront of supporting COVID treatment

digitally connected to his care provider.

options for healthcare providers. While

The care provider can conduct routine

the telemedicine platform effectively

checkups on the patient without entering

www.indiamedtoday.com

23

COVERSTORY the ward thereby reducing proximal

impossible. They are bringing hope to

contact as well as reducing the usage

many by enabling access to cheaper

of PPE per patient contact. Moreover,

sources

the care provider can track multiple

certain countries.

patients

across

different

of

healthcare

provided

in

facilities

enabling a far better optimisation in

Every day the use cases are growing and

the management of Covid care in an

the challenges faced across the world

overwhelming situation.

are multiplying. Connect2MyDoctor is

The compny is supporting a mental health

provider

LifeWorks,

UAE

in

rising to the challenge and supporting the

varied

workflows

required

to

providing access to employees and

manage these situations. The company

families of a government to access

is located in Melbourne, Bengaluru and

multiple levels of support in managing

Dubai.

their well-being. The employees and their family members can reach out to a mental health practitioner via chat, email, phone call and video consultation depending on the severity and urgency of

their

need.

Since

governments

are at the forefront of managing the pandemic, their mental well-being is of utmost importance thus enabling them to make sound decisions to take care of their citizens.

The

compny

the

way

this

country

approaches

healthcare delivery. While the first wave saw a big demand for breathing devices, Personal Protective Equipment

hospitals based in major cities to

(PPE) and personal hygiene products

provide their services in rural cities and

like sanitisers and disinfectants, the

villages. Some of these are Neuro Spinal

second

Hospital, Abu Dhabi, Bethany Hospital,

even more basic yet difficult issue – a

Mumbai, Meenakshi Mission Hospital,

demand for medical oxygen.

and

is

enabling

Tanjore,

Metromed

International Cardiac Centre, Kerala; Florence Nightingale, Istanbul; Shalby Hospital - Gujarat and other 11 regions among many others.

wave

crippled

us

with

an

With the COVID-19 challenge upon us, the GenWorks leadership decided to take up the opportunity to be the front runners. From sourcing PPE to bridge the supply-demand gap to creating

Using a hub and spoke model, the

awareness on rapid testing and allied

specialist sitting in the hospital can

blood tests for COVID-19 management,

connect to a primary healthcare centre and render advice to stabilise a patient.

This then enables the patient to manage the long journey to the hospital and receive appropriate care.

July 2021

The last 16+ months have transformed

specialist

Madurai

24

Affordable robust solutions

stitching a partnership with Wipro 3D for their novel emergency breathing assistance system air bridge or promote the

value

of

handheld

ultrasound

systems for quick, point-of-care testing,

The compny through their pan country

GenWorks did all of this and more.

operations is enabling patients to access

The start-up put together partnerships

healthcare around the world in current

with manufacturers, tied up operations

conditions where physical interactions

and supply chain contingencies, and

are difficult, in certain cases, if not

embraced all digital means of customer

communications to ensure affordability

on treatment solutions but also on

and

pulmonary rehabilitation and function

fair

pricing

of

any

solution

promoted.

assessment – brought to life by the

Blood tests such as CBC, ESR, CRP, D-Dimer,

Urea,

Creatinine,

SGOT,

SGPT and CT scans were an important

partnership with Vyaire Medical for their

range

of

pulmonary

function

assessment solutions.

diagnostic tool for early diagnosis and to determine treatment protocol to prevent deaths. GenWorks ramped up the IVD portfolio with Iris acquisition and leveraged partnership with GE to support CT scanners across the country.

The startup also stepped up efforts in

Dialysis on-call amidst covid pandemic

government

supplied

The COVID-19 pandemic has unleashed

to

the

mayhem in the entire world. We realised

in

we had to step up to face this head-

Kerala, thanks to the visionary efforts

on. NephroPlus prepared clinical SOPs

of Shashi Tharoor.

for screening, detecting, and managing

100

business

airbridge

and

devices

Thiruvananthapuram

constituency

oxygen

patients with COVID-19. The SOPs were

concentrators; it was ensured that high-

shared on the website so that all dialysis

quality devices are procured having

centres could use them. NephroPlus

international certifications, and at the

teams were trained to deal with the

same time keep it highly affordable.

crisis even before the first COVID +ve

GenWorks

Preparing

imported

for

the

probable

third

wave, GenWorks’ focus is not only

case was detected in our network.

As the situation evolved, hospitals were taken over and converted into COVID centres, impacting the dialysis services.

Makeshift centres were set up overnight to ensure every patient got timely dialysis. Travel restrictions and lack of public transport made things worse.

NephroPlus launched two new services –Dialysis on Wheels and Dialysis on Call. Both the services ensured that if people are unable to travel to centres, dialysis travels to them. The technicians even walked with heavy consumables to patients’ homes to do dialysis if the situation required. The supply chain team also personally started delivering stock to the centres. The health of all teammates

infected

with

COVID-19

was taken care of. Unfortunately, many people lost their livelihood due to the lockdown. NephroPlus has set up a fund to help people with treatment expenses.

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25

COVERSTORY has already been ramped up to 800.

HMD is a leading manufacturer of disposable

syringes

international

Catering to the high demand for covid vaccination

and

supplier

is

of

a

key

critically

needed syringes to COVAX facilities of WHO, Brazil and Japan for COVID

With the onset of covid, from day one,

vaccination, the company said. The

HMD as an essential product supplier

company

and having more than 60 per cent

thirds of the capacity for India and

market share in the country, knew

declined orders from many overseas

that the country depended on them.

new

Predicting a spike in demand, HMD

vaccination of our citizens.

adopted an all-hands-on-deck approach and won the necessary approvals from local

administration

and

Centre

to

advance production into 24/7 mode for the company as well as its ancillaries despite extreme lockdown restrictions in March 2020.

The medical product’s manufacturer has rapidly ramped up the company’s capacity by debottlenecking, ordering multi-cavity moulds, and re-engineering the standard disposable syringes lines to

has

potential

reserved

buyers,

over

to

two-

prioritise

Now the machines crank out more than 6500 syringes per minute at a factory spread over 11 acres in an industrial district in Haryana of which approximately

2000

per

minute

are auto-disable syringes for covid vaccination.

All

the

syringes

put

together,

the

company currently manufactures more than 2.7 billion syringes per year and more than 4 billion needles a year.

manufacture in their place auto-disable

But when it comes to HMD’s success,

syringe for vaccination. The production

Rajiv Nath believes the major driver has

capacity of AD syringe 0.5ml, which

always been its commitment to offering

was 500 million per annum last year,

consistent quality and its driven team.

Delivering the vision of cutting-edge healthcare The VS Covid Care Hospital manned by a team of senior intensivists 24x7 has treated several patients successfully and created a huge difference to the community. Several elderly patients well above 90 years have been cured of COVID and doing well – giving the entire team immense satisfaction and tremendous conviction to go the extra

26

July 2021

mile. It reflects in the wonderful results

more than 10000 patients during the

the covid care team has achieved over

pandemic period.

the last few months, all this while keeping costs low and affordable. The

•

The

Department

of

Transfusion

Medicine started the collection and

continued care and follow-up post covid

processing of convalescent plasma

to ensure the seamless transition of the

for

patients to normalcy has been vital and

COVID-19

using

Aphaeresis

technology. Equipped with the latest

well appreciated.

infrastructure

and

expertise

the

The patient care team at VS have done

transfusion

medicine

department

a massive outreach initiative to get in

has

manfully

lending

touch with every one of them to allay

shoulder

their fears and anxiety and help them

COVID-19 by making Convalescent

with any medical help or guidance in

plasma therapy within reach.

these difficult times. Patients have benefited greatly from extended medical help. Telemedicine facilities have been adopted to provide continuous care to patients irrespective of where they

•

been

Complex

in

this

surgeries

battle

have

a

against

been

undertaken successfully for Covid patients despite the imminent risks involved.

are. The elderly and patients who are

• When the entire city was reeling

unable to leave their homes due to the

with the shortage of beds, VS was

pandemic situation have been managed

dynamic and created an additional

through their recently introduced home

30 beds by taking up another

care services.

hospital in the vicinity. Also, 60 quarantine beds were created by

Milestones during a pandemic:

collaborating with hotels.

• VS Hospitals, Chetpet – dedicated Covid Care facility has successfully treated more than 1000 covid patients.

• VS was one of the few hospitals in the city that mitigated both the Oxygen crisis and the shortage of medicines

• VS Hospitals, Kilpauk – Non-Covid

to deliver continuous medical care to

Facility

the public throughout the pandemic.

has

successfully

treated

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27

COVERSTORY

VS Hospitals – a household name in

two branches located at Chetpet and

the healthcare domain has combined

Velapanchavadi.

their immense medical expertise with the adoption of digital technology to adapt to the new normal and provide

Mehta’s played a leading role in treating

available, affordable, accessible care

patients with COVID-19. The doctors

24x7 to our community. Hats off to

played a leading role in treating patients

the entire team of doctors, nurses and

and were able to treat over 5000 cases

health care workers who have put

successfully

their life in line to continue to serve

success of more than 98.3 per cent. We

patients through this pandemic and beyond. Team VS salutes the spirit shown by frontline/corona warriors in serving society in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID

19

WARRIOR:

Dr

Mehta’s

Hospitals

clinical

outcome

would like to mention Dr Nivetha B, Dr Vijay Shankar, Dr Angeline Victoria J from Emergency Medicine (Adult) department;

Emergency

Medicine

(Pediatrics) Dr Sharada R C; Intensive Care Dr S Jaganathan, Dr M Ganesh Moorthy, Dr G Arthi, Dr Rajkumar Samuvel, Dr Thirumurugan A, Dr Subi

healthcare

Krishnan; Internal Medicine Dr Dilip

provider

system

located

for superior clinical excellence, built

July 2021

with

Dr Mehta’s Hospitals is a leading tertiary in Chennai with a strong reputation

28

During this COVID-19 pandemic, Dr

Kumar R, Dr K Adhiti

over 85 years of distinctive clinical

Dr

management and patient care having

Bharathy S P.

M

Rose

Raichel,

Dr

Saravana

APPROACH

Future of Medical Education in India Envisioning a holistic undergraduate medical education system in India

Source KPMG

Indian healthcare has progressed over the last three decades and is currently at a very critical juncture to achieve the 3As of healthcare - Affordability, Accessibility and Availability. The government has introduced several healthcare policies to achieve successful implementation of universal health coverage (UHC) through National Health Policy 2017 like the launch of Ayushman Bharat Yojana. With the recent launch of the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM), the Government is also creating digital health infrastructure in the country. As India re-imagines healthcare with UHC and NDHM, the government and national medical authorities need to ensure that the country produces the

right quality of doctors. Also, an acute shortage of qualified doctors has been impeding equitable access to quality healthcare for all the citizens of the country. Therefore, there is a parallel need to look deeper into the medical education system in the country and align it with evolving healthcare needs and global academic standards.

Medical education forms the bedrock on which any disparities in human resources for healthcare are addressed.

Recent years have seen several initiatives taken by the government that aims to build more strength into undergraduate (UG) medical education in India. For instance, in 2019, the

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29

APPROACH Medical Council of India (MCI) Board of Governors introduced the globally recognised competency-based medical curriculum that emphasises practical learning methods and introduces a dedicated module for soft skills such as communication, empathy and attitude.

National Medical Commission (NMC) was established in 2020 to overtake the MCI Board of Governors to instil more strength and transparency into the country’s medical education system.

The focus from here on should be on ensuring effective execution of the farreaching reforms so that the efforts made in crafting these reforms translate to the desired outcomes. Also, it is pertinent to note that certain systemic issues continue to prevail in the medical education sector in India. Therefore, there is an unequivocal need for the Government to bolster UG medical education across all its facets spanning college infrastructure, teaching approaches and assessment methods.

We need to unravel the current scenario of UG medical education in India, whilst also analysing its course structure and learning methods vis-à-vis leading global medical education systems.

Recent years witnessed an increase in the number of medical seats across the country that has marginally narrowed the supply-demand gap. However, there is a need for the government and private sector to come together to provide a fillip to the number of medical colleges and undergraduate medical seats in the country. In line with this, the Government of India had announced the establishment of hospitals as well as medical colleges in every district through the PPP model in the Union Budget 2020. Simultaneously, NITI Aayog had approached the state government with the proposal of the PPP of medical colleges, which had been accepted by the Medical Education Minister, in early 2020. We, also recommend other policy-level interventions and reforms aimed at increasing the overall ease of setting up and operationalising medical colleges by the private sector to bridge the persistent gap in demand and supply of doctors in the country.

30

July 2021

Thereafter, we delve into the following five levers that underpin the future roadmap of UG medical education in India and provide detailed recommendations to address the key systemic issues.

Effective implementation of CBME The introduction of globally acknowledged CBME by MCI is a welcome step. However, to achieve the desired results, its effective implementation with a premeditated plan for seamless adoption of CBME is imperative.

Strengthen the learning approaches The key to improving the quality of new doctors is to strengthen the learning approaches. This can be done by weighing more on experiencedbased learning models, such as using skill laboratories to impart training on clinical procedures, emphasising the significance of internship year amongst students, introducing bounded flexibility in the curriculum to allow students to explore their areas of interest, viz. specialised clinical exposure, medical research etc.

Make new-age doctors more techsavvy Advancements in technology will be the key driver to shape the future of healthcare and medical education in India and globally. This would demand new-age doctors to be continuously

self-learning, technologically savvy and acquainted with digital health solutions.

While the emergence of COVID-19 led to hiked adoption of digital solutions, the current format and choice of digital learning or teaching approaches is heterogeneous and requires streamlining.

Emphasis on the all-round development The need for the all-around development of doctors is well acknowledged and the government has taken few measures to instil communication and ethical skills as part of the curriculum.

However, with the evolving healthcare delivery models, there is a dire need to make medical education more holistic and ensure the development of entrepreneurship or business skills, training on communication and leadership skills and integrating mentoring sessions for motivational support and stress management.

Focus on developing patient-centric competencies Owing to the rising patients’ awareness and their active involvement in healthcare and wellness, healthcare delivery is expected to be more patientcentric and wellness-oriented. Therefore, the undergraduate program should inculcate patient-centric competencies in young doctors so that they are more compassionate and are well prepared to meet changing expectations of patients and healthcare delivery.

MARKET INTERVIEW

Steady Growth Voxtur Bio Ltd is emerging as one of India's largest medical diagnostic companies, Dr. Veeraal Gandhi, Chairman and Managing Director talks about the recent success

Team IMT

How has the diagnostic testing kits industry evolved over the years?

A robust diagnostic industry is the mainstay of a healthy society as it strengthens pre-emptive healthcare delivery and therapeutic response assessment mechanism. The growing importance of diagnostic services can be measured from the fact that almost 80% of the medical decisions across the world are based on diagnostic reports.

Having said that, the effectiveness of such medical decisions while treating various infectious diseases, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, HIV, cancer, etc. entirely depends on early detection through early diagnosis.

A majority of the life-threatening diseases are curable thanks to the rapid strides the healthcare ecosystem has been making over the years. Early diagnosis plays a critical role in enhancing the chances of recovery immensely, thus curtailing the prolonged impact of the diseases on life. In a way, the diagnostics service delivery has transitioned from investigation-focussed approach to solution-driven outlook and as a result of that transition, the industry has been witnessing an accelerated growth.

Dr Veeraal Gandhi,CMD,Voxtur Bio

According to a research report published in 2020 by Edelweiss Research, the domestic diagnostic industry which was pegged at $9 billion is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of ~10% over the next 5 years.

The key drivers for such growth would be a growing awareness among people of wellness and preventive healthcare, expansion of healthcare and diagnostics service network across the country, among others.

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MARKET INTERVIEW The diagnostics industry has been on a steady growth path thanks to an enabling role being played by the diagnostic kit manufacturing companies. Driven by the motto of patient empowerment, the diagnostics kit manufacturing companies with their diversified portfolio of solutions have been supporting all diagnostic service delivery formats such as stand-alone labs, hospital labs, national chains and regional chains in meeting the growing demand.

With technology integration, unwavering focus on research and development, stringent quality control mechanism and enhanced manufacturing capacity, the diagnostic kit manufacturers have been able to enhance the patient comfort and patient-centricity even for the high-end tests by ensuring wider availability and faster turnaround time.

The manufacturers have been investing heavily in research and development to ensure accuracy and eliminate pre-analytical errors, thus enhancing patient satisfaction. Complying with the global standards, the diagnostic kit manufacturing industry has been strengthening the healthcare delivery in India.

COVID-19 has opened a huge market base for the diagnostics kits industry. How did it impact your business?

COVID-19 has altered the healthcare and diagnostics narrative in India and across the world. It has amplified the importance of adding accuracy and speed in diagnostics service delivery. Thus, diagnostic services have transformed from reactive to proactive while containing pandemic spread. That transformation has made the idea of care testing (POCT), self-testing and self-monitoring acceptable to a certain extent. In fact, the reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) will turn out to be the prevalent process to detect viral infections, going forward.

All in all, the efficiency of IVD solutions in patient management and outbreak control have opened up the huge market opportunities for IVD kit manufacturers.

32

July 2021

The trend has impacted our business positively. Being a prominent IVD test kit manufacturer with FDA license, GMP, ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 13485:2016 accreditation, we have not only ramped up our manufacturing output but also enhanced our product portfolio with new solutions approved by ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research). Few more solutions are also in the pipeline. On the business front, demand for our solutions has been increasing significantly. Our market reach has been steadily growing riding on the back of that robust demand.

You have set up a 40000 sq ft facility ‘state-ofthe-art’ manufacturing infrastructure facility. What type of diagnostic kits are manufactured at the facility?

We have been rolling out a diversified range of diagnostics solutions from our manufacturing facility in Vasai on the outskirts of Mumbai,. Our product portfolio comprises rapid diagnostic testing solutions for communicable diseases such as, HCV, HBsAg, COVID, HIV, etc. as well as for non-communicable diseases such as Chickungunya, malaria, dengue, etc.

Moreover, we have introduced Blood Grouping Sera, Latex Reagents, ELISA testing kits, blood collection tubes and a range of laboratory plastic consumables. We’ll soon be coming up with point-of-care testing (POCT) solutions and haematology analysers.

Moreover, to strengthen our IVD solutions for COVID-19, we have

received our licence for COVID-19 IgG/ IgM rapid antibody test, COVID-19 IgG ELISA and Viral transport medium (VTM) whereas COVID-19 Antigen self-test kit is in pipeline.

Do you plan to set up any more facilities in India? Any plans for the global market?

We have already developed a robust manufacturing capacity in Vasai capable of meeting the growing market demand.

Our annual manufacturing capacity of rapid test kits at the facility is approximately 120 million. Our focus is now to ensure full capacity utilisation of the manufacturing facility. So, we don't have any immediate plan to set up a new manufacturing facility.

In the global market, we always explore market expansion and customer acquisition opportunities. Thanks to our enhanced manufacturing capacity, we are better placed to aggressively grow our reach in the global market.

What will be your growth plans for the next five years?

The IVD segment is growing at a rapid pace banking on increasing health consciousness among people and rising demand for point-of-care testing. To cater to that demand, we'll be rolling out a new range of technologically advanced IVD solutions which will redefine patient comfort and centricity.

We are working towards becoming one of the largest IVD manufacturers in the country with regard to daily production. Simultaneously, We also aim at emerging as one of the largest OEM manufacturers in the IVD segment.

OPINION

Can the current COVID-19 vaccines provide herd immunity?

Dr Anand Lakshman, Public Health Physician, Founder & CEO, AddressHealth

Most health pundits have been talking of COVID vaccine coverage to be ramped up to provide herd immunity without understanding the concept and what its implications are. It’s a difficult concept to explain to the layman, but let me try.

Herd immunity is the minimum percentage of the population who when immune, protect the rest of the population, who are not immune. In the case of the vaccine, it would mean that vaccinating a certain proportion of the population (say 70 per cent), would end up protecting the rest (i.e. 30 per cent) and hence they do not need to be vaccinated.

Well, this depends on the dynamics of transmission, the susceptibility of the population due to natural immunity or vaccine immunity and characteristics of the infective agent ( variants etc) and all this boils down to a concept called R, which is the Reproduction number.

R to put it simply is how many people on average, can an infected person transmit the virus to.

The number of people to whom the one infected person can transmit varies, based on the number of people who can block the infection from being transmitted as they have immunity either through infection or through vaccination if vaccination indeed prevented

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33

OPINION transmission. Some of the other factors that affect the Reproduction number are non-pharmacological interventions being practised and the population dynamics (such as movement of people, population density, the age structure of the population, innate immunity etc).

There is also an individual variation, which accounts for some being ‘super spreaders’ while others do not seem to transmit the infection (this is accounted for using a term called dispersion).

The current variants of the SARS-COV-2 are highly infective and are seen to be infecting entire families as opposed to the first wave, when many within the same family escaped without an infection, with early isolation, masking etc. The estimated reproduction number for the current variants are between 3-4, which by corollary translates into 66 per cent-75 per cent of the population need to be immune to provide population immunity to the 33 per cent- 25 per cent who aren’t infected yet.

The vaccines that are available in India so far haven’t presented data on the prevention of transmission. All of them are effective in the prevention of symptomatic disease, severe disease or death. There is no talk about the prevention of transmission yet and most trials aren’t powered or designed to study this effect, at least as a primary outcome. The mRNA vaccines (Pfizer

34

July 2021

BionTech and Moderna) have presented some data to show that they can reduce asymptomatic infection as well as reduce transmission, but we do not know with what efficacy they can do so yet.

The nasal vaccine from Bharat Biotech is proposed to be a game-changer, as it will promote mucosal immunity and could significantly reduce transmission, but it is yet to undergo trials.

Then there is a question of vaccine efficacy. If a given vaccine could prevent transmission to the tune of 50 per cent, then the vaccine-based herd immunity would be calculated as {(1-1/R0)/E} which would translate into 66 per cent or 75 per cent divided by 50 per cent which is greater than 100 per cent and hence not provides any theoretical protection to the unvaccinated.

Any vulnerable individual who is unprotected therefore has no benefit of herd immunity and is at risk of catching the infection. Hence we need to disassociate the term herd immunity from vaccination in the COVID context and try and vaccinate everyone, who is vulnerable to severe COVID to protect them. Vaccination will save lives, but of those vaccinated. Let us prioritise the lives at risk and vaccinate them as quickly as we can.

START-UP TALK

Changing Surgical Care Prothom Chakravorty, Founder, House of Doctors start-up talks about how surgeries can be made more economical Team IMT

With healthcare being digitised at a rapid stage how does the House of Doctors going to make an impact?

Our primary aim is to provide top quality medical treatment majorly backed by the most advanced technology and highly experienced doctors. By leveraging the technological advanced techniques, House of Doctors is able to provide treatment with minimum invasive techniques, compared to traditional surgical methods. Which often are more painful and requires a longer hospital stay and huge scars are left behind.

Moreover, using technology we aim to deliver stress-free end-to-end patient experience, right from Diagnosis to Surgery to Recovery.

How many doctors are associated and how many hospitals have you tied up?

Mr Prothom

In three months of operations, we have onboarded 30+ hospitals in Mumbai. These are state of the art infrastructure, where our patients' surgery is conducted. We have launched six specialities which are proctology, varicose veins, hernia, urology, cosmetic surgery and orthopedics. HOD has 25+ surgeons across the specialities. And all our doctors are highly experienced and are even titled to be award-winning surgeons.

We have started operations in Indore from July 1

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START-UP TALK We ensure a truly smooth experience for every patient; Right from discovery of the right doctor, easy booking of appointments, receiving detailed diagnoses, assistance with insurance paperwork, commute from home to the hospital and back, smooth admission and discharge processes, and follow-up consultations post-surgery.

Being a start up, how are you managing the funding? Any challenges faced to procuring funds?

What type of technology is being used by the House of Doctors to reach to more number of patients?

We are currently dependant on the digital platforms in order to reach out maximum patients.

Social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram provide opportunity like never before for new brands to reach out to their target audience. Google platform is a major source for us to generate fresh leads.

Tell us about your business model.

House of Doctors is a surgical platform focusing on elective surgeries which works on an asset-light business model.

Our aim is to provide treatment with most experienced doctors at an affordable cost with a stress free experience. We make sure there is 100 per cent transparency, education shared with patients at every step of one’s journey right from diagnosis to surgery to recovery.

We offers end-to-end services across a range of specialities : proctology, varicose veins, hernia, urology, ophthalmology, cosmetic surgery and orthopaedics.

36

July 2021

There several aspects a start-up is required to identify, out of which the most important factor is the cost and expenses the business model will have to incur. Considering the rotation cycle of funds, we plan our growth strategies.

House of Doctors has been able to generate positive cash flow from its second month of operations itself. Such sustainable and revenue-generating models makes it easier to manage and plan funds.

We were able to raise seed funding form an angel investor from the healthcare industry, which helped us to get a kickstart and allowed us to reach certain milestones for a start-up.

We are currently in talks with VC’s to raise pre series A round of funding to support growth plans.

What will be your growth projections five year down the line?

As we have already started the development of our operations for upcoming city launches, we plan to be having a strong Brand presences pan India, focusing more towards Tier-II and III cities. While even introducing other surgical specialities rather than only elective surgeries. We should be able to witness a thousand surgeries a month for House of Doctors.

We even plan to diversify our involvement in doctors training modules, foreign medical tourism, TPA and Insurance ecosystem as well.

FROM THE HEART

My Covid Experience had our internal medicine and critical care team prepped up not knowing how we were going to fight the war. We had to charge our team with motivational ideas, teaching effective donning and doffing methods, strengthening the team not knowing about the enemy.

In the Forefront Dr Rose Raichel, Consultant Physician and Deputy Head Internal Medicine Dr Mehta's Hospital I have been practising in the field of Internal Medicine for more than 10 years. I have treated more than 3000 patients since March 2020 with the excellent efforts of our entire medical team.

Since December 2019, every news channel has been flashing about a strange virus that has erupted in a Chinese province named Wuhan.

Hearing the news made us feel that it's just affected China and we will be spared. Never did I realise that this nightmare is going to affect us until one fine day, we saw the news channel projecting the first case detected in India on January 27 in Kerala. Here comes the alarm bell warning us to be prepared. Still, we didn't know the face of Covid. Covid numbers started increasing day by day and by March we were alerted to be ready to face the war zone. With the limited manpower, we

On entering the covid ward on the first day it was a real nightmare. Felt scared whether I had followed the protocol while handling the covid patient. Even the first set of patients were sick and I was confused and worried about how we are going to manage the patients with no effective treatment protocols and no effective medication. With the handful of medicines available we were managing the patients. The first covid death I had to face was a 75-year-old lady who passed away in just two days of admission among the family of seven who had got admitted. Seeing the family in pain every day and losing their loved mother made my heart turmoil. I can never forget that most of the days were painful wearing the PPE kit drenching me in sweat. Still, I was ready to fight the enemy.

Day by day patients were crowding up with cries and pain everywhere screaming for beds and the crisis peaked up in June to July. Leaving my home in the morning, treating the patients, listening to their stories where many had lost their loved ones created a stir in my soul whether I am going to infect my loved ones and I tried to isolate myself once I reach home. At last, my fear came true.

By June last week, I had a mild fever and cough which made me go into panic mode. I made up my mind that I wouldn't be affected and reluctantly took the nasal swab test in two days.

My heart was fluttering waiting for the result as if waiting for your final exam results. My mind calmed me saying it would be negative, but unfortunately, it turned positive. Adding to the pain, my

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FROM THE HEART kids were infected too. With deep pain in my heart, we were all isolated and recovered from infection.

I had a young lady, who is my regular patient who was infected with covid and was progressing rapidly due to her extensive lung involvement and developed severe ARDS. She had to be ventilated and it was the time when Remdesivir was not yet available in our state and her husband managed to get it from Mumbai. Our team was extremely determined not to lose the patient and finally one day she was off the ventilator and recovered well which made me breathe out better. She was in my prayers every day.

There are many more life-saving stories to add on. The happiest moments were when a severely crippled patient comes out of the ventilator and smiles at us.

Fear, panic and hysteria are around us but we have seen more kindness, empathy and love. There were times when we had delayed food and sleepless nights. The first wave slowly receded and then came the second wave in its vigorous form. I had to face deeply painful moments and more traumatised when I had to face patients in death bed asking me to save them.

Many times we have felt helpless, not able to save young people who are the breadwinners of their families. As the death rates increased day by day there was a sharp pain in my heart each time I lost a patient. There were multitudes of happy moments too. There were moments when patients compared you to God for saving their life and those were the moments which brought you shivers. My fears are gone and the second wave is slowly receding too. We are ready to face the third wave with full strength and vigour. I feel every day is a blessing and feel proud to be a covid warrior in managing this covid pandemic. As the third wave has been predicted, let us all follow standard precautions like face masks, hand wash, social distancing and protect ourselves and our loved ones from this covid pandemic. Let us all gear up to fight the unknown enemy and win this war. Let's get vaccinated and stay safe.

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When ordinary, became Extraordinary!

Dr Nivetha B, Consultant & Dy.Head, Emergency Medicine and Dr Shaik Manzoor Eilahi, Registrar, Emergency Medicine, Dr Mehta’s Hospital We are all well aware of the unprecedented surge of COVID-19 in 2021 or the second wave and the nationwide impact it had. In times like this, the atmosphere in the emergency was like that of a pressure cooker, managing the patient clinically and counselling the anxious attendees, every day brought new challenges and was a high octane situation.

One of the most emotional moments was unexpected and it was yet another challenging day during the peak surge.

Two patient attendants came into the already full emergency and said their loved one needs urgent care and attention. We were informed that the hospital is full and we have no in-patient bed but we can, however, stabilise the patient, do any lifesaving intervention if required and refer to any other centre which has beds. They were speechless, held our hands and started to cry. Initially, I was surprised but later realised that they were tears of joy. The attendants immediately brought the patients and attended and attended to them to stabilise.

Later the attendees narrated the story of horror and agony as they have been going from pillar to post (hospital to hospital) in the ambulance throughout the city for the past six hours only to get denied even entry into the emergency. Later during our internal reflection, we were amazed to see how our simple policy to provide emergency care to anyone in need is positively impacting lives. We managed to do all this with the simple tool of triaging and helped several patients during the pandemic. What we did for that patient was ordinary and was as per policy but it was extraordinary for them.

We as a team were at a stretch but things like these, inspired us and motivated us to push our boundaries and limitations

and go the extra mile to provide patient care especially in the emergency.

Each day was challenging and at times even the healthcare workers were overwhelmed. It was very important to keep morale high and keep going to fight against the pandemic.

To Selfless Service Dr Saravana Bharathy SP, Registrar – Internal Medicine, Dr Mehta’s Hospital The word 'pandemic' was not new, yet came into existence that changed the perspective of life for many. The entire medical fraternity put forth themselves in the front line to treat the patients whom they know less, of a disease they know little. I was a part of our prestigious hospital and have stepped into the same. Though the ever-changing protocol took time for us to structure the entire management, we made sure not to put any patients in harm’s way.

We have come across several emotional incidents, which were double-edged.

There were depressive moments that pulled me down, the one thing that kept me going was the patient’s words, “I’m much better doc”. A smile on their face made our day. Pandemic is a lifetime experience that makes us remember to start from the basics. Selfless service that was on the decline was uplifted and made a strong point for the budding doctors.

The Evolving Cybersecurity Landscape Remote working has increased cyberthreats.

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https://www.mcafee.com/enterprise/en-us/assets/reports/restricted/rp-carr-wfh.pdf https://www.mcafee.com/enterprise/en-us/assets/reports/restricted/rp-carr-wfh.pd Source: https://www.darkreading.com/cloud/as-cloud-adoption-grows-dlp-remains-key-challenge/d/d-id/1335000 https://newsroom.ibm.com/2020-07-29-IBM-Report-Compromised-Employee-Accounts-Led-to-Most-Expensive-Data-Breaches-Over-Past-Year https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/is-the-cloud-secure/ https://media.nominet.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/12130924/Nominet-Cyber_CISO-report_FINAL-130219.pdf

8 https://www.mcafee.com/enterprise/en-us/assets/reports/rp-cloud-adoption-and-risk-report-work-from-home-edition.pdf McAfee and the McAfee logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of McAfee, LLC or its subsidiaries in the US and other countries. Other marks and brands may be claimed as the property of others. Copyright © 2020 McAfee, LLC. 4619_0920 SEPTEMBER 2020

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