How long have you been operating in the Indian healthcare market?
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Manoj Kumar
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Hitex Healthcare was established in India during 2011, under technical collaboration with DINA-HITEX, Czech Republic, a leading European manufacturer since 1992 of medical disposables and non-woven medical textile products. All their products are CE certified for conformance with the council directive 93/42/EEC on medical devices and other harmonised standards as per Czech and EU regulations. Their factories are certified according to ISO 9002, ISO 14001:2004 and ISO 46002 compliant with ISO 13485 Quality Management Systems. Hitex Healthcare is a part of Dina International, having its global headquarters at Moscow, Russia. The group’s turnover is more than $100 million. Dina International has many verticals like turnkey hospital projects, trading, manufacturing etc.
How are your offerings suited for the Indian healthcare scenario?
Healthcare in India is changing at a fast pace. Reputed hospitals are going in for accreditation like NABH. Our products meet the stringent requirement of healthcare professionals and play a role in bringing down cases of hospital acquired infections (HAI), infant/maternal mortality rate (MMR/IMR), surgical site infection etc. Our drapes/ gowns etc are made of medical grade laminates and non-woven fabric as per international standards. They have far superior barrier control as compared to conventional drapes/gowns etc made of linen.
What are the USPs of your products which make them the right choice for infection control in hospital settings?
We have the complete range of drapes, gowns, accessories etc for each type of procedure which can create a sterile field which is essential to provide a barrier to passage of microorganisms and hence reduce chances of infection. The USP of our product can be divided under three headings:
- Raw material: We manufacture our own laminates at Czech Republic. Usually hospitals end up using disposable drapes made of SMS, spunlace or spunbond non wovens which do not provide 100 per cent protection against strike-through. Bi-laminates and tri-laminates ensure best safety in OR. Hospitals across the world are shifting from linen to SMS, and from SMS to laminates. These laminates are impermeable and provide complete protection against body fluids such as blood, pus, saliva etc. We source other raw material like SMMS from world leaders, Ahlstrom. All other components are sourced from reputed manufacturers having requisite certifications.
- Production: We have invested in class 100,000 D clean room facility at our Una plant which is validated through accredited laboratories on regular interval. We have imported semi-automatic drape making machine which is probably one of its kind in India. Our production team has been trained by European professionals and we manufacture in accordance with ISO 13485 and EN 13795 standards. With unique fluid collection pouches and proper folding of the drapes, it becomes easy for OR staff to drape the patient in a very less time and can save precious time in the OR. Saving OR time translates to higher revenue for the hospitals. We have tied up with Microtrol Sterilisation for sterilisation of our products.
- Technical knowhow: We have technical collaboration with Dina Hitex which is one of the leading manufacturers in the European market. We have the distinct advantage of launching products which have been developed by the R&D department of Dina Hitex.
How are your products adapting to the changing requirements in healthcare?
Customisation plays a crucial role! As surgical procedures have been changing, we also have kept pace with the changes and customised our products to suit the surgeons’ requirements. Our computerised drawing and production system is flexible enough to incorporate the changes required in the final product. Our tie up with leading surgeons at key hospitals provide us continuous inputs on the latest trends in the healthcare industry.
Who are your clients in India?
Our client list extends from government hospitals like AIIMS, PGI Chandigarh, Armed Forces Command Hospital etc to private hospitals like Fortis, Max etc. In addition, small nursing homes, maternity centres etc are also our regular customers. Apart from India, our products are also being used at leading hospitals in Nepal, Mauritius etc. Recently, we have started operations in Bangladesh. Further, we have exported more than 25. 40 ft containers to Europe.
Are there any new products that you plan to introduce in the Indian market?
We will be starting production of gowns using Ultrasonic Sealing technology. Further, we plan to launch Customised Procedural Trays (CPTs) for the Indian market. We are doing good volumes in these products in Europe and we believe that CPTs will perform well in India as well. One of the researches currently in progress is to use modified cellulose in drapes. Dina Hitex has tied up with a leading medical research company in France and has started marketing the advanced Margin Drapes in Europe. We will launch Margin Drapes in India at an opportune moment.