Wipro GE eyes Rs 100cr turnover in Kerala

Wipro GE Medical Systems (WGMS), manufacturers of sophisticated medical equipment, has targeted Rs 100 crore business in Kerala during the current financial year.

The company, which has already achieved Rs 25 crore business during the first quarter, expects a sharp increase in sales in the state as it is one of the important destinations of medical tourism, according to Vidhi Prasad, business manager, WGMS.

Addressing a press conference here, he said WGMS had a turnover of Rs 400 crore on a pan India basis during the last fiscal, while in Kerala alone it had a total sales of Rs 46 crore in 2005-06. The company has already installed 100 CT scanners and 30 MRI scanners in the state.

He said that India had a huge potential in medical equipment business as diagnosis was very important in treating diseases like cardiac ailments and brain disorders.

"The market is growing by 10-15 percent on an annualised basis and there is a huge demand for equipment from major metros like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai," he said.

Cardiac CT scanner, which GE introduced in the US and Japan recently, costs around Rs 5 crore while MRI scanner costs Rs 5.5 crore.

Dr Rijo Mathew, director, AMMA Scan and Diagnostics, said most of the sophisticated machinery in the West was now available in India.

Wipro GE will organise a one-day CT and MRI users meet at Hotel Le Meridian, Kochi, on August 19. V. Raja, president and CEO of Wipro GE (South Asia), and Dr Rijo Mathew will attend the meet.