Bridging delivery gaps in healthcare through affordable medtech

Dr Mohanasankar Sivaprakasam, Director, Healthcare Technologies Incubation Centre, IIT Madras, gave an overview on the medtech advancements in India and its role in rendering quality healthcare services. He also explained the needs and opportunity for med-tech to bridge the gaps in the Indian context. At the same time, he also gave a rundown on the problems hindering the growth of medtech sector such as over-dependence on imports, cost and skill barriers, limited India-centric innovation, lack of effective regulatory pathway etc. He also explained IIT Madras’ role to encourage innovation in the med-tech sector and help create a better entrepreneur eco-system to facilitate growth in this sector.

He spoke on various innovations being incubated at his organisation and emphasised that affordable innovations are the key to create a good public health system. He cited three examples of innovations incubated at IIT Madras to explain how affordable med-tech development and deployment can help bridge delivery gaps in the Indian healthcare system.

The three examples he gave were as follows:

SN-IITM Mobile Eye Surgical Unit which helps to provide safe, sterile cataract surgery. It received the Health Ministry’s approval for pan-India operations in 2015 and since then it has completed over 4000 surgeries.

Indigenously manufactured Forus eye examination devices which helps to screen and diagnose ailments through computation.

Helyxon- Fever Watch, a wireless remote continuous monitoring system for neonates. As part of its many advantageous features, it also helps to collect, store and disseminate data from home to the hospital set up and helps in ensuring better care to the newborns.

Dr Sivaprakasam pointed out that all these innovations are affordable and yet as they are created to address India-specific issues, they have achieved considerable success. He also opined that such innovations are the need to reform the public health system as well. Stating that medtech innovation in India is on a rise and it would continue to grow, he ended his session on a positive note.