BPL Health Management Solutions, the medical devices arm of BPL Limited, is planning its growth trajectory through its new generation of products in the point-of care space. This will include its range of mercury free devices being marketed under its alliance with Welch Allyn Inc. It has a strategy in place to enter the emerging markets apart from increasing distribution network in India too.

Global healthcare market trend indicates that an effective point-of-care is the right channel to reduce the cost burden and access clinical decision support systems at faster pace. This can be achieved by providing more power to the frontline caregivers with robust screening and triaging diagnostic tools along with a platform for data interconnectivity, Vijay Simha, COO and vice president, BPL Health Management Solutions told Pharmabiz in an email interaction.

This is where BPL products feature affordability, optimize time, provide seamless connectivity. “We are looking at maximizing the advantage of cloud computing infrastructure for better human-machine interface to facilitate delivery of services with proven outcomes. With these efforts, we expect to clock a 40 per cent growth this fiscal and plan to touch Rs 115 crore as against Rs 80 crore in 2009-10,” he added.

The new products complement solutions in the point-of-care segment. Besides, there will be a number of diagnostic and therapeutic products for international markets too.

Products marketed for Welch had a Mercury Free campaign which has gained wide acceptance in the urban and semi urban regions. Some state governments have also initiated to convert all the clinics to be mercury free by 2011. Now with the Bhopal tragedy being re-lived after 25 years, the toxic effects of mercury are being re-emphasized. “We hope that the Union Government would take cognizance of the dangers of toxic heavy metals used in hospitals and prepare an action plan to phase them out with 24 months,” said Simha.

In order to meet the growing volumes and scale-up rapidly, the division expanded capacity by two fold at the Palakkad, Kerala plant. It could also augment capacity by four times at short notice because ample built-up factory space has already been provisioned for. While innovative technologies are being licensed out with IP sourced from across the world, the hub for engineering and production would be located in India. This is where, to order to meet the current expansion, the company is looking to ramp up its R&D and engineering personnel too from its current workforce strength of around 180, stated Simha.

Giving an update on the company’s earlier efforts in e-clinic initiative where it was in talks with the six state governments, Simha stated that efforts were on to roll out the same soon. Traditionally, the targeted primary health centres lacked appropriate infrastructure: power, clean water and connectivity which are now being addressed and only then the e-clinic could be commissioned.

For the future, products to ease health screening would be developed and BPL is keen to collaborate with a number of s companies to evolve appropriate and cost effective solutions, stated Simha.