The Hindu Business Line : UK healthcare sector keen to tie up with India

"Since rest of the world is working in partnership with the UK to improve healthcare provision, why not India, and why not West Bengal?'' says Mr Kevin McCole

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Kolkata March 5 Members of a large British Healthcare Mission, now in the city scouting for business opportunities in West Bengal and other States, are keen to expand into the Indian market and form joint ventures to either set up distributorships or manufacturing facilities in India.

Among the visiting members are Dr Richard Deed of TrustTECH Innovation, Dr Sandeep Shah, Managing Director of Tarilian Consulting Ltd, an international MedTech Development Consultancy, Dr Rob Elles of British Society for Human Genetics and Head, National Genetics Reference Laboratory (Manchester), Mr Mike Dowling & Mr Dan Dowling of Western Equipment Supplies Ltd and Mr Mahindra Parmar, First International Services.

The UK, a global player in the healthcare sector, exported more than £14-billion worth healthcare goods and services in 2006. UK's National Health Service (NHS) has an annual budget of £55 billion ($100 billion).

Mr Kevin McCole, Deputy Head of Mission, British Deputy High Commission, Kolkata, said: "the UK healthcare industry can provide everything that hospitals in India need, and since the rest of the world is working in partnership with the UK to improve healthcare provision, why not India, and why not West Bengal?''

He was speaking at a workshop organised by the UK Government here on Monday on `Exploring opportunities for partnership', to identify business opportunities in the areas of new technology and medical devices, facilitate potential collaborations and future strategic alliances.

Existing potential

He said the enormous internal healthcare market in the UK has attracted the best suppliers, who are now significant exporters of healthcare goods and services.

According to him, there is immense potential for the UK and West Bengal healthcare providers to work together. "The industry is growing fast in West Bengal and the UK can help take this growth to a new level." UK's NHS, employing some 1.5 million people, according to Mr McCole, is now acknowledged worldwide as a "benchmark of excellence". Cited as the single largest unified supplier of healthcare, it is also an exacting buyer of healthcare.

Dr Sandeep Shah of Tarilian Consulting said India has the potential to emerge as a leader in the manufacture of medical technology equipment. He particularly cited the $12-billion investment programme on Siemens' R&D facility in Bangalore. Citing the developments in nano-medicine, he said the entire drug delivery systems worldwide is set to change in a big way.

According to the UK Trade and Investment department data, the medical devices and systems sub-sector now encompasses such diverse products as aids for the disabled, non-clinical hospital equipment and surgical devices.