A Medical Technology Park spread across an area of 25 acres has been inaugurated at Irungattukottai near Chennai for the indigenous manufacture of world class medical devices. Deputy chief minister of Tamil Nadu, MK Stalin inaugurated the Park, which is an initiative of Trivitron Healthcare Private Ltd, one of the leading medical technology companies in India.

The setting up of the park at Chennai is in line with the government of Tamil Nadu’s initiative of promoting Chennai as a manufacturing hub of medical and pharmaceutical products and equipment. The Trivitron Medical Technologies Park is designed to house 10 international medical technology manufacturers.

“It’s a proud moment for all of us. We are exhilarated that Trivitron has set up the first medical technology park in the region to manufacture an indigenous line of products designed specifically for Indian markets. This is yet another feather in the cap of Tamil Nadu’s healthcare system. Tamil Nadu, as you are all aware, is the leader in healthcare delivery in the country and is the choicest destination for international medical tourism,” said M K Stalin.

The park aims to bring cutting edge medical technology to medical professionals across the country at affordable costs. A range of products including ultrasound systems, colour dopplers, X–ray machines, C-arms , in-vitro diagnostic reagents and instruments, cardiology diagnostic instruments, critical care instruments, modular operating theatres, operating theatre lights and tables and implantable medical devices will be manufactured at the park. It is expected that the manufacture of world-class medical devices within the country will bring down the overall healthcare costs considerably.

The first of the several facilities to be set up at the park was also inaugurated on the same day. Trivitron Medical Technologies facility is a joint venture between Aloka, a Japan based company credited with pioneering the diagnostic ultrasound technology globally and Trivitron.

The facility designed by Aloka Ltd’s Japanese production team boasts of a fully ESD tiled production area of 12,000 sq ft (ESD helps in the discharge of electrical charges from the human body, ensuring that the calibration of surrounding instruments does not get affected). Other areas of the facility, adding upto a total of approximately 20,000 sq ft and including internal corridors, raw material storage area, material IN & UT areas have an epoxy coated flooring. The production area has an open design, which ensures a complete view from all sides of the goings-on inside. The facility itself has CCTV cameras installed everywhere. Measures have been taken to ensure that the facility is eco-friendly with ample usage of natural light and good water harvesting capacity.

In his address Minoru Yosizumi, president Aloka Ltd, Japan emphasized that the products manufactured at the facility will adhere to international standards such as ISO 9000 – 2001, ISO 13485, CE, US FDA and Japan MITI certifications.

In his keynote address Dr G S K Velu, founder and managing director, Trivitron Group of Companies expressed hope that the setting up of the park will catalyze the rapid spread of medical technology across the country. “The setting up of this park is a dream come true. With this we plan to put India on the global map of medical technology manufacturing. The fact that this initiative will eventually help bring down healthcare costs, facilitating the spread of advanced medical technology across the country is a source of great satisfaction for me,” he said.

Trivitron Healthcare Pvt Ltd is looking at setting up more facilities at the park very soon. To this end, the company has already signed joint ventures with leading international medical devices manufacturers. These include Brandon Medical, UK, ET, Cardio line, Italy, Johnson Medical, Sweden and Bio-systems, Spain.

V K Subburaj, principal secretary, department of health and family welfare, Tamil Nadu, hailed the setting up of the park as a giant stride towards self-sufficiency in medical devices manufacture. He said that this unique initiative will go a long way in ensuring that quality healthcare becomes widely available. A reduction in the manufacturing costs of medical devices, he said, will in turn reduce the overall healthcare costs significantly.

Prominent among others who spoke were Dr T K Parthasarty, director Trivitron Healthcare and V R Venkatachalam, chancellor, Sri Ramachandra Medical University.