Alva wants a strong R&D base
The healthcare will become more digital with time, progressing from the use of Artificial Intelligence to Virtual Reality and Medical Internet of Things with precise decision-making using technology becoming more pivotal.
Stating this at an industry forum, Siemens Healthcare Private Limited Managing Director Gerd Hoefner expects a paradigm shift in treating patients with the focus on the individual becoming prominent.
Further, GE Healthcare President and CEO Nalinikanth Gollagunta underlined the importance of different segments i.e. academia, IT and digital to converge to create an ecosystem.
For India, the fundamental challenge is that public health is a national security concern and there is an imminent need to spend more in specific targeted areas.
Moving forward, all that is manufactured in the healthcare continuum needs to adhere to a standardized quality benchmark, he pointed out.
Gollagunta also emphasized that the efforts for indigenous manufacturing must be end to end.
Citing examples from his experience in manufacture of ICU ventilators, he spoke of the need to focus on ancillary industry for components such as valves, sensors, magnets etc.
Focus on world-class standards and quality would enable Indian industry to tap into the global markets, added Gollagunta.
Skanray Technologies Pvt Ltd Managing Director Vishwaprasad Alva emphasized on the importance of having a strong R&D base within India coupled with a robust setup for basic research and a sturdy supply chain.
But Chhitiz Kumar, Business Leader, Philips – Precision Diagnosis & Connected Care lamented for there has not been enough investment in the medtech in past decades.
The lack of action in increasing the proportion of health expenditure to GDP has led to minimal investment in public health. Time is now right to change that mindset, he pointed out.
The industry leaders spoke on 30 Apr 2020 at the ‘Next Frontier for Health Systems’, with focus on “Making in India for Global Health”, a brainstorming session organized by CII. fiinews.com
