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MedikaBazaar Celebrates Women's Day With Revolutionary Breast Cancer Screening Technique

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Press Trust of India MUMBAI

/ -- The innovative medical device by European brand Braster will provide a painless, radiation-free alternative to mammograms at half the cost, revolutionising breast cancer screening in the country

In celebration of International Women's Day, MedikaBazaar, India's leading hospital and medical supply platform, has collaborated with Jaslok and ONGC, to unveil a revolutionary diagnostic procedure for breast cancer detection called Thermography. The device will be launched at a camp organised by Jaslok hospital at oil marketing company ONGC's headquarters at Uran in Navi Mumbai. The product is being unveiled at the Women's Day awareness drive at a special low cost.

 

The thermography machine developed by European medical manufacturer Braster, is available exclusively on MedikaBazaar. What makes this diagnostic device remarkable is the fact that it offers a painless and radiation-free alternative to mammography, at approximately half the cost. The technology has already been used by several European countries, including Poland, Bulgaria, and Germany, but MedikaBazaar is the first to introduce it in India, on the occasion of Women's Day.

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While early detection is the key to breast cancer survival, the complexities, expenses, and harmful side effects of radiation when using conventional mammography devices, have proven to be a major deterrent for patients. The thermography machine by Braster, on the other hand, is small and portable, and utilises a unique liquid-crystal breast cancer detection technology to make early detection of breast cancer easy and harmless. Since no radiation is emitted by the device, patients younger than 50 years of age can also undergo thermography screenings, without any potential risks.

A mammography procedure costs anywhere between INR 3000 and INR 5000, per scan, which is 60-80% costlier than a thermography scan using the device. In addition to that, the device also boasts of a sensitivity quotient of 90 percent, making it much more accurate than mammography, especially in case of dense breasts. This makes it ideal for the Indian market, the majority of which consists of patients with dense breast tissue. The turn-around-time is also significantly lower, with patients being able to obtain the screening results in an hour or two, while mammography results may take anywhere between 48 hours and 7 days. As a result, it is expected to play a major role in lowering the costs incurred by the patient and end consumers, which, in turn, might help save many lives.

Furthermore, operating the device is incredibly easy, and the procedure can be performed by a trained technician, paramedic staff, or a nurse, as long as an air-conditioned room, smartphone, and internet connection are available. As such, it can easily be performed in a doctor's clinic/OPD, without requiring any kind of an elaborate setup.

Vivek Tiwari, CEO, MedikaBazaar, said, "While in India, mammography is currently the only diagnostic method for breast cancer, thermography has been in use in several countries for a number of years, now. As a result, every year, countless patients in India suffering from breast cancer lose their lives, owing to delayed diagnosis, and exorbitant costs. With this revolutionary device by Braster, MedikaBazaar hopes to completely transform the medical landscape in the country, minimising loss of life from breast cancer, while also making its diagnosis cheaper, faster, and easier."

About MedikaBazaar:

Mumbai-based MedikaBazaar was founded in 2015 by Vivek Tiwari, an alumnus of IIM-Calcutta and Ketan Malkan, a serial entrepreneur. MedikaBazaar is revolutionising the way hospitals purchase their inventory and helps them save on procurement costs by upto 30%. The company connects with facilities in Tier 2, Tier 3 cities and rural areas of the country, apart from metros, to help them fulfil their healthcare needs. It has over 1,50,000 specialty medical products listed with them across a network of 1800+ supplier, manufacturers, distributors and importers, and is only growing.

Despite a young firm, the company has raised two rounds of funding, with the last one being of 5 million from HealthQuad. This has empowered them to strengthen their technology, streamline their supply chain and logistics capability to reach 50,000 hospitals and clinics by the end of next financial year. It currently owns 10 fulfilment centres and aims to grow over 100 per cent to 20+ centres across India, including tier 2 and 3 locations.

Website: https://medikabazaar.

Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content

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First Published: Mar 08 2019 | 12:10 PM IST

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