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India's medical device sector is witnessing significant innovation, driven by advances in digital health, diagnostics, imaging, and locally developed medical technologies. However, the pace of adoption has not kept up with the rate of innovation.
KMK Rajendran, business head, India operations, Forus Health, noted that India has the innovation. The bigger challenge is accelerating adoption. What will accelerate adoption is stronger clinical validation, faster procurement pathways and more opportunities to demonstrate outcomes in real-world settings. Supporting indigenous MedTech isn’t just about self-reliance, it is about building solutions that address India’s healthcare challenges while also being globally competitive.
The country’s challenge is not just shortage of specialists but integrating of technology. Here artificial intelligence (AI) helps bridge that gap by enabling trained technicians to capture high-quality retinal images closer to the community, while specialists review only the cases that need clinical attention.
To this end, developing and deploying the 3nethra platform has reinforced our belief that technologies designed in India can meet global clinical standards while remaining affordable, portable and practical for our healthcare system. AI is augmenting the work of doctors by helping them reach and care for many more patients efficiently, he said.
There is an imminent need to build sustainable screening ecosystems through public–private partnerships. Our experience has shown that no single organisation can transform healthcare on its own. Governments bring reach, infrastructure and policy support, while companies like ours contribute technology, innovation and implementation expertise. Now technology cannot create an impact unless it is integrated into the healthcare ecosystem with the right partners, workflows and follow-up care. When these strengths come together, preventive healthcare can move beyond pilot projects and become part of routine care. Ultimately, success should be measured by the number of people diagnosed early and successfully referred for timely treatment, he said.
Technician-led and digital diagnostic models are seen to improve healthcare access. Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) is perhaps one of the best examples of how technology can transform care delivery. ROP specialists often have to travel between hospitals to examine babies in NICUs, limiting the number of infants they can screen. An AI-enabled retinal imaging technology like ours enables trained technicians to capture retinal images at the NICU, while specialists review only those babies who need immediate attention. This makes better use of scarce specialist resources, enables timely screening and early detection, and ultimately helps prevent avoidable childhood blindness, said Rajendran.
We also see healthcare is steadily shifting from treatment to prevention. Across screening programmes, healthcare providers have identified many patients with diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and other retinal diseases before they experience noticeable symptoms. Early detection gives patients a far better chance of preserving their vision while also reducing the long-term burden on the healthcare system. As AI and digital technologies make screening more accessible and scalable, preventive healthcare is no longer an aspiration as it is becoming an essential pillar of delivering better health outcomes, said Rajendran.
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