Govt plans IT standards for healthcare units

ACCESS to quality healthcare in rural areas could soon be a reality if a new government initiative fructifies. The ministry of communications and IT is in the process of developing standards for digital information across healthcare facilities to facilitate implementation of telemedicine systems.

Once the recommendations are accepted, the standards for digital information will be adopted by healthcare facilities across the country. The standards will not only enable compatibility of systems within the country but also internationally Curretnly, most healthcare facilities across the country use proprietary information systems. And though the healthcare sector is increasingly adopting cutting edge solutions in the area of information technology, there still seems to be an issue of compatibility between different organizations, which is crucial in a telemedicine set up.

New faster, high-end CT scanner makes India debut

SIEMENS India launched a new high-end CT scanner that it says will give faster and more accurate results.

Somatom Sensation 16, a multi-slice scanner can be used for inon-invasive cardiac imaging, single breath lung hold imaging, 5-second scanning of brain arteries of stroke patients and faster screening for trauma patients. The product is being launched by Siemen’s medical solutions division which markets a range of diagnostics including magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear medicine, and digital angiography.

Priced at Rs. 5 crore, the product is being targeted at hospitals and stand-alone diagnostic centers, though Siemens expects acceptance to be higher at hospitals in urban centers.

“Globally, the product has done extremely well. More than 200 have been installed already,” said Richard Hausmann, president, CT at Siemens AG. Mr Hausmann said India is one of the six biggest markets for Siemens and a leading market in Asia.

In fact, India is one of the countries chosen for the launch of a prototype of Siemens’ global CRM programme for its CT scanner users, the others being Germany and the US. “We have targeted countries where the installed base is high,” Mr Hausmann said. The aim of the Elevate programme is to create awareness among customers about latest technologies in CT scanning and the advantages an upgrade would offer.

The CT scanner market in India is valued at Rs 200 crore growing at about 15% which is higher than the international growth rate of 8% to 10%.

India and China are key markets for Siemens since they are populous and penetration of CT scanners is low.

Stress, Diabetes & High Blood Pressure Act As Triggers Cardiac operations cost India Rs 2,000 crore annually

DON’T let your heart skip a beat By a rough estimate, corporates and executives together could be spending in the region of Rs 2,000 crore on heart surgeries every year. Half of the total number of cardiac surgeries or interventions relate to the white collar segement.

“Executives most commonly suffer from stress, diabetes and high blood pressure. All these spark off heart diseases. Every year, the country sees around one lakh bypass surgeries and one lakh more angioplasties. This sector is worth about Rs 4,000 crore as an industry annually and 50% of this is flowing in from the corporate class,” Dr Bimal Chhajer, cardiologist, told ET .