Philips Home Care Services, a subsidiary of Dutch giant Philips, will launch home chemo and dialysis services in India by March. The services will be launched in select cities initially.

Addressing media persons at the launch of home care services in Chennai today, Richa Singh, Chief Executive Officer, said home chemo is on pilot mode in Mumbai before its official launch.

To perform chemotherapy for cancer patients at home there is a need to follow strict protocols under the direct supervision of oncologists.

Also, not every cancer patient will be eligible for home chemo and should be recommended by his/her primary care giver.

The company will work with the doctors for this procedure.

The service will be launched in Mumbai and then in Delhi before it is rolled out nationally.

Talking about chemotherapy at home, Singh said it is a niche segment and there are not many players right now. With rise in cancer cases there is need for services that are affordable.

The chemo at home offered by Philips will reduce the cost by 30-40 per cent.

The heavy investment the company has made in the healthcare devices segment gives them the ability to reduce the cost, she added. Elderly care is another focus area for the company.

The company operates in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Pune. Singh said the company plans to go beyond metros and will look at places where there is a demand for elderly care.

Vishal Sehgal, Head Medical Services, said that they are also working with the Centre and is a part of technical committee to frame guidelines for home healthcare in the country.

They are in talks with individual insurance companies and Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority to extend the cover to home care as well.

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