ConvaTec India is slated to pump in around Rs. 150 crore over the 3-5 years to tap the healthcare market with its range of dressings in wound healing and novel systems for ostomy care, continence and critical care. It has planned to open up 5 wound clinics by the year end and would also scout for franchisees. Each clinic requires an investment of Rs. 1.5 crore. Over the next five years it slated to establish 50 clinics pan India.
Further, ConvaTec has sets its eyes on the emerging home healthcare market. It will now support HealthCare At Home India (HCAH) joint venture initiative of Dabur group and UK-based HealthCare at Home with its products and train its nurses to enable safe and comfort to bed-ridden patients.
The company also has been part of the government tenders and its products are used at AIIMS, Army Hospital, New Delhi, SPGI, Lucknow and Naval hospital, Mumbai. It will be looking to discuss with the central and state governments to increase its presence in the sector to ensure every district hospital and primary health centre could use its advanced products.
In order to widen the market opportunities it would increase the number of distributors and also embark on intensive training programmes for nursing staff.
Currently, its first fully operational clinic in Bengaluru at the Narayana Health has the ConvaTec Advanced Wound Clinic and Limb Salvage Centre. Its second facility is under construction at the MS Ramaiah Hospital, Bengaluru. The dedicated wound clinics would prevent limb loss resulting from diabetic foot ulcers burns and venous insufficiency conditions.
India, South Asia and China are the future growth destinations. The region accounts for the world’s 38 percent of the population where lifestyle disorders and the ageing population are a growing concern. There are two kinds of wounds: traumatic - infected and surgical type. Both require quick relief and faster recovery. This is where we provide the hospitals with advanced devices to detect wound status and prevent limb amputation, Anand Shirur, chairman and managing director, South Asia and China told Pharmabiz.
The southern India healthcare market is on an aggressive growth path with instant acceptance to advanced medical technology to provide high quality patient care. This is what led us to set base in Bengaluru to facilitate growth. For instance, the Narayana Health ConvaTec Advanced Wound Clinic and Limb Salvage Centre has treated 1,300 patients and we have prepared a pre-post documentation of phases from the deterioration to recovery in wound healing. This is a clear indication of our product acceptance, he added.
“ We have sighted the opportunities and designed our investment plans accordingly,” said Avinash Lodha, regional finance director, South Asia and China.
In India, wound healing, continence and critical care comes come under the category of Class II devices that mandate regulatory approvals. However, clinical trials on Indian patients are not required but the company has scientifically evaluated reports of 160 clinical trials and white papers for one product, said Raghavendra Prasad, director, marketing, ConvaTec.