World Patient Safety Day: How innovation and training can play a pivotal role in addressing India’s surgeon skill gap?
Globally, emerging surgical techniques bring with them a whole set of new products that forms a part of the procedure. Dr. Ashok Moharana Doctors particularly surgeons all over the world are treated with a great deal of reverence for the services they render, and India is no exception. However, there are unique challenges that surgeons in India face, which can be overcome with a multi-dimensional, integrated approach. The prime contributor to this unenviable scenario is the low doctor-to-patient ratio in our country. This puts tremendous pressure on doctors and surgeons, who are eager to upgrade their skills with latest developments in their own fields of interest. However, this skill gap, particularly among surgeons, can be bridged with the help of Medtech interventions and a collaborative approach among various stakeholders. Some of the key areas central to reducing skill gaps are technological advancements in the field of surgeries, standardized operating procedures, quality medical devices and access to hands on training. Technology related skilling: As newer technologies are assimilated in the realm of medical sciences, the need to up-skill becomes a crucial part of a surgeon’s professional career. A case in point is the minimally invasive surgery, such as laparoscopic, arthroscopic or robotic surgeries, that have better outcomes for patients. For instance, laparoscopic suturing is an area that needs expertise and studies by academicians have shown that there are gaps in training. As a result, Medtech firms have been collaborating closely with academia to provide specialised training to young surgeons to enable them to quickly acquire the necessary skills. Moreover, efforts are underway to include surgical simulation as a part of the medical curriculum for better skill acquisition and to steepen the learning curve. Product innovation and skilling: Globally, emerging surgical techniques bring with them a whole set of new products that forms a part of the procedure. When these techniques are applied in India, the accompanying products may not be the right fit for Indian patients. It is often seen that these products are not fitting to our patients or not available in the country, and therefore there is a delay in implementing these techniques. To bridge such gaps, in India’s healthcare system, most Medtech firms have been working very closely with surgeons to create products that satiate the peculiar medical needs of the Indian patients. Such initiatives in line with India’s objective of local manufacturing will assist in easy accessibility and affordable medical products for the patients. Local innovation and manufacturing will lead to easier training and quicker adoption of these medical devices. Patient Safety and Quality Standards: A related yet connected area is that of spurious medical devices that end up in the operation theatre. There have been numerous cases reported from different parts of the country, especially in smaller towns and cities, where sub-standard medical devices have been used, resulting in serious health hazards. Patient safety is supreme in initiatives of localisation and surgeons and medical institutions will need to work in tandem with Medtech companies to ensure safe, and quality products are used during surgeries. Collaboration with regulatory organisations to achieve globally harmonised quality standards, including materiovigilance and post-market surveillance, is an important role that surgeons can assume. Upgrading knowledge based on clinical evidence: Digitisation of medical information has brought about development of local clinical evidence and this information is integral to a surgeon’s learning and skilling experience. While creating the necessary IT infrastructure for evidence generation is expensive, the coming together of health IT companies, medtech firms, and surgical and clinical staff of hospitals has worked well in developing such solutions based on artificial intelligence and machine learning. A few hospitals in India have adopted this approach and have managed to overcome serious medical lacunae. The biggest beneficiaries of such an integrated approach have been the patients, who have been bestowed with favourable surgical outcomes. In conclusion: A symbiotic relationship between the surgeons, academia and medtech firms can be a starting point for development and quick adoption of local solutions which shall resolve the unmet surgical needs of the patients. We have a long way to go in this direction but it’s heartening to see that we have discovered a cohesive path of collaboration.
Healthium in collaboration with Abhinav Bindra Foundation Trust (ABFT) inaugurates the ‘Sport of Life’, Bengaluru
Healthium in collaboration with Abhinav Bindra Foundation Trust (ABFT) inaugurates the ‘Sport of Life’ initiative for the treatment of sports injuries, strengthening its deep commitment towards sports medicine in India The “Sport of Life” initiative aims to promote awareness about sports injuries and provide treatment for sportspeople. As a part of this initiative, Healthium will aid in the treatment of sports injuries with free arthroscopy implants.Bhaichung Bhutia, torchbearer of Indian Football in the international arena, Abhinav Bindra, India’s first Individual Olympic gold medalist and Founder, ABFT, Prof. Arumugam S, Director, Centre for Sports Science (CSS), and Anish Bafna, CEO & MD Healthium Medtech inaugurated the initiative.Bengaluru, 4th March 2022: Healthium Medtech, a global medtech company, today inaugurated the ‘Sport of Life’ initiative, with Abhinav Bindra Foundation Trust (ABFT). ABFT aims to support injured players in need with the cost of medical treatment, doctors, surgeries and rehabilitation facilities to recover from sport injuries and carry on with their career. Healthium will provide its arthroscopy implants required for the surgeries free of cost. In sports, players often face injuries during their career. Some of them are minor niggles while others could be critical enough to be career threatening. For some players, the sport is the only way of sustaining themselves and their families. Such sportsmen often cannot afford to bear the cost of treatment of injuries. With ‘Sport of Life’, such needy players have an opportunity to recover from injuries with the support of ABFT and Healthium. According to an Injury Surveillance Report by NCA last year, 14.75 % of players sustained shoulder injuries, 13.11% of players sustained knee injuries and almost 74 % players suffer from career-threatening Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries in the 1st two years of return to sport. Healthium has created over 300 SKUs for knee and shoulder procedures, designed and developed in-house, backed by 50+ patents applied and granted in U.S and India. This “Make in India, for the world” portfolio offers a wide range of implants and equipment to treat soft tissue conditions in the shoulders and knees such as anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, posterior cruciate ligament injuries, other ligament repair & reconstruction and meniscal repair, so that despite injuries the ‘Sport of Life’ does not stop. The “Sport of Life’ initiative was inaugurated by renowned dignitaries that included Shree Bhaichung Bhutia, torchbearer of Indian Football in the international arena, Shree Abhinav Bindra, India’s 1st individual Olympic gold medallist, & Founder of Abhinav Bindra Foundation Trust, Prof. Arumugam. S, Director, Centre for Sports Science (CSS) and Head – Department of Arthroscopy & Sports Medicine, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education & Research (SRIHER), Shree Anish Bafna from Healthium and the representatives of ABFT. Commenting on the launch of the programme, Anish Bafna, CEO and MD, Healthium Medtech, said, “We are excited to be part of the “Sport of Life” Initiative and commit to the betterment and well- being of sportspeople in India. At Healthium, we aspire to touch lives with our patented arthroscopy range “Sironix”, designed and developed in-house, which holds over 50 patents in U.S and India. We are delighted with our strategic collaboration with Abhinav Bindra Foundation Trust (ABFT) and are happy to play a part in helping sports people with injuries and hope to make a positive impact in the lives of young sportspeople of our nation. We remain thankful to Shree Bhaichung Bhutia and Shree Abhinav Bindra for actively encouraging sports people to seek treatment in a timely manner and supporting the “Sport of life” initiative. Speaking at the launch of the initiative, Abhinav Bindra, Founder, Abhinav Bindra Foundation Trust added, “Making sure the sport of life does not stop, by supporting players in need, is of paramount importance in sports today, as they represent our nation. “Sport of Life” aims to help sports people in need pan India with treatment and rehabilitation facilities at their home locations so that they can remain active in sport. We are delighted to join hands with Healthium- a company committed to the directives of Atmanirbhar Bharat and to the development of sports in India for being a part of this initiative. We look forward to impacting the lives of 100 sportspeople in need within an year of this initiative.” Bhaichung Bhutia, torchbearer of Indian Football in the international arena said, “When you represent your country by playing sports long enough, the potential for sustaining an injury is a reality of the game. I thank ABFT and Healthium for being at the forefront with “Sport of Life” that gives players in need a fighting chance to get treated and come back actively into sports careers.” Prof. Arumugam S, Director, Centre for Sports Science (CSS) and Head – Department of Arthroscopy & Sports Medicine, (SRIHER) said, “Sportspeople are particularly susceptible to injuries, which can be career-ending if not addressed promptly. In the event of a significant injury, the athlete will require the assistance of an experienced orthopaedic surgeon in order to return to their favourite sport. Orthopaedic surgeons today have the expertise and techniques to help athletes of all ages overcome the effects of sports injuries, thanks to advances in contemporary medicine and science. Arthroscopy can now be performed using minimally invasive techniques, allowing relatively quick recovery. However, in many parts of India, the lack of rehabilitation facilities for sports injuries has become a significant source of worry. With the rollout of ABFT and Healthium’s ‘Sport of Life’ initiative, we hope to support and provide the best in treatment to young athletes in need, across tier II and III cities. It gives me great pleasure to be a part of this initiative and help athletes who require such interventions recover safely and avoid re-injury when they return to their sport.“ More details of the initiative are available on https://www.abft.in/injury-rehabilitation and https://sironixmedtech.com/patient_story About Healthium Medtech Limited: Healthium Medtech Limited (“Company” or “Healthium Medtech”) is a global medtech company focused on products used in surgical, post-surgical and chronic care. One in five surgeries conducted globally uses a Healthium
Healthium and DKSH extend their partnership to provide clinics and hospitals innovative and high-quality surgical products in Thailand, Combodia and Laos
DKSH expands its collaboration with Healthium Medtech to distribute its high-quality surgical products to clinics and hospitals across the region. December, 2021: DKSH Business Unit Healthcare, Asia’s leading partner for healthcare companies seeking to grow their business in Asia, has expanded its partnership with Healthium MedtechPvt Ltd., a global leader and Innovator in medical devices.The Healthium Group is the world’s fourth largest surgical suture manufacturer and the largest surgical suture needle maker by volume, exporting to over 70 countries.After signing an agreement in Myanmar this October, DKSH and Healthium have now ex-tended their partnership to also include Thailand, Cambodia and Laos where DKSH will offer full-agency service, manage distribution and commercialize Healthium’s products.The agreement is in line with DKSH’s strategy of expanding into higher value-added segments and services such as medical devices. The Healthium Group has a lineage of 36 years in creating precision based medical devices across the world. Its products are used in 1 in 6 surgeries globally. Healthium is the largest domestic medtech brand and the largest exporter of surgical sutures from India. As a partner, DKSH can help Healthium deliver a strong market entry across Asia, particularly Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. Healthium can quickly build its brand and gain market share by tapping into DKSH’s extensive and experienced sales force and marketing and distribution channels to ensure that their products reach extensively to hospitals, clinics, and medical channels across the country and also achieve Healthium’s vision of “Access to precision Medtechfor every patient, globally”. Anish Bafna, CEO & MD Healthium Group, said: “We are delighted to extend our partnership with DKSH in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. Our products are manufactured to global standards with USFDA and CE approvals, with acceptance in over 70 countries. It is our vision to provide access to precision medtech for every patient, globally and we look forward to leverage DKSH’s extensive reach, quality of operations and scale to touch clinics and hospitals in the Region with our precision medtech products that bring patient safety and better outcomes to the fore” Bijay Singh, Global Head of Business Unit Healthcare, DKSH, commented: “The extended partnership with Healthium demonstrates our commitment to bringing high-quality medical products to Asian pa-tients and enriching their lives. This collaboration will not only show another milestone in expanding our portfolio, but alsostrengthen our goal to become the preferred partner for hospitals for medical devices. Through working with Healthium, we are proud toimprove access tohigh-quality sutures for all hospitals and clinics in the region, whilecommittingto driving growth for our partnerin delivering their innovative and high-quality products.” About Healthium MedtechHealthium Medtech is present in over 70 countries, covers 18,000+ hospitals across India and has a workforce of 1,500 employees of which 60% are women. Its portfolio includes Minimally Invasive Arth-roscopy implants and Endoscopy staplers and cutters, a full range of Absorbable, Non-Absorbable and Specialty Surgical Sutures, Wound Closure products including Hernia Meshes, Skin Staplers, Cardiac Pacing Wires and Hemostats. Healthium has six Manufacturing facilities across India and the UAE and the Company holds over 55patents in India and the U.S, including those applied for. Backed by stringent R & D norms, the Company’s products adhere to the highest global quality standards, having accreditations and approvals from 510K (USFDA), CE & ISO. About DKSHDKSH is the leading Market Expansion Services provider with a focus on Asia. The Group helps companies to grow across the Business Units Healthcare, Consumer Goods, Performance Materials and Technology. The service portfolio covers sourcing, market insights, marketing and sales, eCom-merce, distribution and logistics as well as after-sales services. Publicly listed on the SIX Swiss Ex-change, the Group operates in 36 markets with 33,350 specialists, generating net sales of CHF 11.6 billion in 2019. With its Swiss heritage, DKSH has been deeply rooted in Asia Pacific since 1865. The DKSH Business Unit Healthcare distributes pharmaceuticals, consumer health and overt-the-counter (OTC) products as well as medical devices. With around 8,220 specialists, the Business Unit generated net sales of CHF 6.0 billion in 2019. For further information, please contact: DKSH Business Unit HealthcareSheena FlanneryDirector, Group Communications+66 2 220 9739sheena.flannery@dksh.com