Developing indigenous medical devices vital for the country: Dr. Sanjay Behari

It is high time that the nation made serious efforts towards developing indigenous and cost-effective medical devices equipment without relying on expensive devices supplied by global firms, Sanjay Behari, Director of Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences & Technology (SCTIMST) has said.

Delivering a lecture on the National Technology Day at the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) here on Wednesday, Dr. Behari said it was vital to ramp up capacity in medical device development and called upon the researchers to focus more on this area.

Speaking on ‘Neurosurgery: The Immense Potential for Biotechnological Innovations’, he said that many devices required for rehabilitation of patients post surgery were also being imported now. The development of innovative devices was also critical, especially in neurosurgery, he said.

Every clinical situation should be assessed for its basic research potential. One has to develop the insight needed to actually understand the subject from all perspectives, which alone can lead to innovations and new discoveries, he added.

Researchers needed to develop every prototype that they make into a financially viable product for the market. “The medical equipment for spinal surgery is based on a simple technology that can be developed locally. The robot used in robotics treatment costs around ₹80 crore and its annual maintenance comes at 5% of the actual cost,” Dr. Behari pointed out.

RGCB Director Prof. Chandrabhas Narayana, who presided over the function, said the foundation of all technology lay in basic science, which is where the focus needed to be. The infrastructure developed in the past two years for biotechnology was going to change the way research had been conducted in biotechnology, he added.

Every year, National Technology Day is celebrated on May 11 to honour the contributions of the Indian scientific community. This year’s theme was ‘Integrated Approach in Science & Technology for Sustainable Future.’

Dr. Krishna Kumar, Professor, Neuro Surgery, SCTIMST, was also present. Dr. T.R. Santhosh Kumar, Dean, RGCB, welcomed the gathering.