Bengaluru : Indian medical device sector will be able to fuel growth with digitally enabled services and workflow automation. Companies in the space are seen to fast track investments in innovation and technology besides hire relevant talent to accelerate research and manufacture.
The country is fortunate to have one of the largest and most tech-savvy talent pools globally. We need people to drive the future of healthcare, said Dileep Mangsuli, head, development center, Siemens Healthineers.
Union government’s National Digital Health Mission strengthens the leverages IT and associated technologies to support the existing health systems in a ‘patient-centric’ approach.
Working in the healthcare specifically medical device industry can be one of the most rewarding career choices for techies as solutions developed directly impact the lives of millions. In healthcare, one does not write a code instead scripts a lifesaving formula, which is the difference, Mangsuli told Pharmabiz in an email interaction.
To this end, Siemens Healthineers’ sees capability in digital technologies to accelerate the pace of growth. The medical device major’s Bengaluru campus is one of its four innovation global hubs, with others located in the US, Germany, and China. It has already invested here Rs. 1,300 crore and plans to hire 1,800 skilled digital tech experts.
This campus will focus on digital technologies and make India a manufacturing center for emerging markets. We are expanding our centers of competence in data analytics, artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality, user experience, and cybersecurity, he added.
The software, we develop has to be reliable, available, maintainable and function for over 20 years. This calls for an entirely different level of quality and software engineering maturity. We combine software engineering excellence with deep domain know-how. As part of our strategy, we are addressing the greatest opportunities in healthcare, fighting threatening diseases, enabling efficient operations, and expanding access to care. The focus is comprehensive cancer care coming together with Varian where image guidance and robotics in cardiovascular and neurovascular care are enabled, he said.
There is considerable technology and ingenuity that goes behind product development. The company pioneered an outcome-driven imaging and information system that enables better patient data management. The Make in India success came about with the mobile C-arm radiology system Cios Fit and computed tomography systems from the Somatom platform for the country and emerging markets. A detailed analysis of the Indian market indicated a need for a cost-effective, robust, reliable, easy-to-use product with best-in-class image quality and high uptime, he said.
Recently Siemens Healthineers launched the NAEOTOM Alpha the world’s first CT scanner with photon-counting technology which provides a new level of clinical decision making. A single scan has the potential to give information for making the right decisions for the patient. It is widely considered as the most significant advance in computed tomography in nearly a decade for its ability to enhance viewing capabilities to understand the human organ’s structure better, he noted.
Further, patient twinning, precision therapy and digital, data & artificial intelligence help predict outcomes or aid in providing the next therapy option. It propels imaging to new levels of insight in minimally invasive procedures and precise interventions using robotics.
“Our technologies influence nearly 70% of the global critical clinical decisions. About 90% of the top hospitals globally collaborate with us. Our engagement through NASSCOM and MedTechInnovator, led is to partner with over 10 start-ups in diagnostic imaging, in-vitro diagnostics, advanced therapies, digital health and serviceability, said Mangsuli.
