You have spent more than four decades in Canada. As an immigrant from India what challenges did you face while setting up your business in Canada?
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| Krishnan Suthanthiran |
I arrived in Canada in 1969 with very little urban cultural and social habits. So, it was a huge transition. Being an immigrant from India I had to face many challenges. I wasn’t fluent in English so communication was a major problem. I didn’t have money, at least initially, until I got research assistance. Issues like different food habits and varying climatic conditions also bothered me during my initial days in Canada.
How is the Canadian radiology market different from its Indian counterpart?
India has many private centres with new technologies, however Canada is a lot like US, they get many newer technologies sooner than India. However, there is a long waiting time for everyone if they want to get them under government-run programmes. Like everywhere, if you are willing to spend money of your own, you have many options. The radiology procedures are cheaper in India to some extent than Canada. In Canada, radiology procedures are similar to that in US.
Best Theratronics specialises in gamma beam teletherapy (GBT). Tell us about it. What kind of response have you received from radiologists in India?
GBT can be used for non malignant disease treatment as well as malignant. There were as many as 300 GBT units in India earlier, I do not know the current number. There are others products in the market, copies of our units, but these GBT units are not as reliable and they do not last as long as our units. Some of our products in use have been reliably functioning for 40 years or more.
No radiation therapy is completely target specific. To which extent does GBT overcome this shortcoming?
Radiation therapy today can be very specific, e.g. multi leaf collimators. Our company, Nomos, invented intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), and image guided radiation therapy (IGRT). Brachytherapy is highly localised treatment. We are also developing particle therapy (proton to carbon), heavy ions that are very precise. Thus, with many new and innovative technologies, radiation therapy is the most target specific.
Will you be launching manufacturing operations in India?
As far as manufacturing is concerned, it is always an option. However, I find it difficult and moreover financing is very expensive in India. It is tough to run manufacturing facilities in many unionised parts of the world.
sachin.jagdale@expressindia.com
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