“India’s wheelchair market is a nascent market with double digit growth rate”

With the growing number of disabled people within the country, the demand for wheelchairs is also increasing, thereby augmenting growth for the wheelchair market. But the problem of healthcare access, unfavourable public infrastructure as well as less awareness among people acts as roadblocks to its progress. Ankit Suri, Associate Vice President, Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Practice, Tecnova India, talks about the bouquets and brickbats of the wheelchair market in India in conversation with Raelene Kambli

Give us an overview of the wheelchair market in India? When was first the Indian wheelchair manufactured? What is the market growth rate?

Ankit Suri

India has about 20 million people with disabilities. Among the different types of disabilities, 11 million are locomotor disabled. The prevalence of locomotive disability is highest in the country –at 1,046 per 100,000 people in the rural areas and 901 per 100,000 people in the urban population. Low literacy, unemployment and widespread social stigma are making disabled people among the most excluded in India. There is a need to effectively overcome stigma and integrate people with disabilities into the society. The best way to empower them is through imparting employable skills. Government agencies and NGO’s are working towards progressive policy frameworks for the disabled. Government support/ subsidies alone are not enough to cater to the healthcare needs of this segment of the population. There is an inherent need towards getting the basics right. India’s wheelchair market is a nascent market with double digit growth rate.

Who are the major market players in this sector?

The wheelchair market in India is currently dominated by wholesalers. These players usually buy their products from China. There are around 10 such major wholesale markets in India, located in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Indore, Agra and other cities, which control the trading of all wheel chairs in India.

The market is highly fragmented into unorganised and organised segment.

You say that the wheelchair market in India is fragmented. So can you elaborate this further?

The unorganised segment consists of the following :

• Domestic manufacturers, estimated to be between 80-100 players sells 100-150 wheel chairs in a year.
• Wholesalers – They are based in wholesale markets and are involved in importing wheelchairs from China.

The organised segment consists of handful of players. These players can be segmented as:

• Indian manufacturers e.g. Vissco, Janak, Sage and others
• Indian distributors of foreign companies e.g. Vin Grace
• Subsidiaries of foreign companies importing and selling in India e.g. Otto bock, Karma Healthcare.
• The Government segment i.e. Alimco sold approximately 26,000 wheelchairs in 2010
• Private players sold approximately 12,000 units in 2010

Who are the domestic players and what is their market share within the wheelchair market?

The domestic players are mainly in the unorganised segment which consists of domestic manufacturers, which are estimated to be around 80-100 players selling 100-150 wheel chairs in a year and unorganised segment players usually cater to demands of local and regional markets – wholesalers are involved in importing wheelchairs from China, and are currently dominating the wheelchair market in India.

What are the characteristics of the manual and motorised wheelchair market in India?

Manual wheelchairs are mainly used by low income group disabled persons. These are also used by institutions like hospitals, airports, railways stations etc to transport elderly and locomotors disabled people. This market is becoming more competitive since lot of companies are importing parts from China and assembling in India – which is the hindrance to the growth across the value chain of the market

As far as the motorised wheelchairs are concerned, these kind of wheelchair are mainly used by individuals – those who can afford it. However, the usage is still limited due to poor access in India. The roads and pavements are also not well built and there may be chances of accidents due to bumps etc. The market is certainly interesting, since now with more dispensable income, support from NGO’s, it is now possible to afford these wheel chairs. It largely remains a metro or Tier-I market and it will take time when we see its usage in rural parts of India as well.

Since the usage of motorised wheelchair is still limited, is the manual wheelchair market more dominant in India?

Manual wheelchair market is more dominant as compared to motorised market. Despite technological advancements and the emergence of powered wheelchairs, manual wheelchairs are still witnessing a growth in demand. The reason for less usage of motorised wheelchairs are due to lack of awareness; limited only to the high class patients as cost of the products are high; Indian terrain is less suitable for motorised wheelchairs; lack of customisation – very few players have this capability; lack of support in terms of availability of spare parts and after sales service people and no medical insurance by the private insurers.

What are your future projections for this sector?

In future demand of manual wheelchair in the organised segment is expected to clock a CAGR of 10 per cent to reach $5 million by 2015. Whereas, the demand for motorised wheelchair is expected to clock a CAGR of five per cent to reach euro four million by 2015.

What are the roadblocks to the progress of this market? And what are your suggestions for overriding them?

Access remains a roadblock for wheelchair users. Even if the market for the wheel chairs is growing, but it is not true indicative of the utility for most of the users. Healthcare access for disabled is the biggest challenge in the India.- Currently most of the buildings, toilets, hospitals and other places are not locomotor disabled person friendly. People with wheelchair feel bounded to their homes. Sidewalks that are unpaved, poorly maintained, or crowded by vendors are common across the cities in India which hinder the movement of wheel chaired person. Scenario is changing e.g. some malls in India have taken initiative by building washrooms which are friendly for people with disabilities. Delhi Metro has made provisions for access to the disabled. Few seats are also reserved for the disabled people etc., but we need to go a long way before we actually make our disabled people live a regular life.

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