Produce Low-Cost Medical Devices: AIIMS Director To Industry

NEW DELHI: Taking note of "abysmally low government expenditure on healthcare", All India Institute Of Medical Sciences, better known as AIIMS, today exhorted the medical electronics and devices industry to devise low-cost technology to benefit masses. 

AIIMS Director M C Mishra, speaking at a Ficci conference here, said 80 per cent of the medical technology available today serves only 20 per cent of people and as many as 39 million people stay out of the loop because of health-related expenses. 

"This was a major reason for their indebtedness, both in urban and rural India," Misha added. 

Director General, Armed Forces Medical Services, Ministry of Defence, Lt Gen (Dr) B K Chopra sought to put the spotlight on the need to produce devices to cater to special needs of Indian defence personnel as "they operate in inimical weather conditions and hostile environment". 

"Industry needs to come to us and we will tell them what we want. Today, we are in a situation where we have to adjust to foreign technology as no tailor-made indigenous products are available," Chopra said. 

He cited the example of mobile hospitals that can be deployed on any terrain. 

Chopra also reminded indigenous manufacturers about the requirement for bio-friendly, odour-repellent clothing for soldiers in Siachen as "soldiers in sub-zero temperatures are unable to bathe for days and weeks". 

While acknowledging that there's no dearth of innovative talent in the country, Chopra suggested that industry come up with customised engineering solutions for the defence forces after testing product marketability and usefulness to patients.

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