Philips to increase export of medical equipment from India

Medical equipment major Philips India Ltd. is targeting the domestic as well as the overseas markets for its new digital X-ray machine, said a senior official here on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters after launching the company's latest digital mobile X-ray unit, Rekha Ranganathan, vice president and general manager, mobile surgery, IXR, said: "The new product will not only be marketed in India but also shipped out.

"The product has necessary quality certification like the internationally accepted C-marking and other certifications," added Radhakrishnan Kodakkal, senior director, research and development, Philips Healthcare.

According to Ranganathan, who also heads the Healthcare Innovation Centre (HIC) here, the new machine called MobileDiagnost Opta was designed, developed and manufactured at the company's Healthcare Innovation Centre (HIC) here.

She said the centre can make around 100 units a month but declined to reveal the equipment's price, saying that it would be competitive.

Ranganathan said the digital image generated by the X-ray unit, its compactness, and ease of mobility in restricted places like intensive care units and operation theatres were some of the innovate features.

There was no need for the conventional X-ray film. She said the company was gradually increasing the local content in the machines made at HIC by developing suppliers.

However, critical components for X-ray machines were imported as there were no domestic suppliers, Kodakkal said.

Declining to reveal any figures like investment in the HIC and its annual capacity, Ranganathan said the centre would play a critical role in supporting Philips' local and global strategy in the image-guided therapy.

She said the global leadership team for mobile surgery being based in Pune, HIC will take the lead in delivering innovations for both the Indian and global markets.

According to Ranganathan, the HIC has more than 400 employees and has shipped products to more than 90 countries.

She said the centre had launched five products and filed four patents. Philips India gets more than 50 percent of its revenue from the healthcare vertical and the balance comes from consumer lifestyle and lighting products, Ranganathan said.

Speaking about Philips India's market position in the medical equipment market, Sameer Garde, president South Asia, Philips Healthcare, said the company gained market share in 2014 when the overall market remained flat.

According to him, India was one of the top markets for the group in the case of healthcare equipments.

Garde said the company leads the market in the MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), critical care, catheterization lab and homecare equipment. The company sees good growth in tier-II and -III cities.

He said Philips India is also mulling entering into home healthcare services in India. "We are considering to enter this segment by tying up with hospitals. We will be providing the equipment," Garde told IANS.