Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh): The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-Kanpur) has been working on six flagship projects for the production of medical equipment. The Department of Biological Science and Bioengineering under the Gangwal School of Medical Sciences will focus on developing new medical equipment, which will be cost-effective and easily available to Indian markets.
The Union government has asked IIT-Kanpur to work in the direction of developing affordable medical equipment and devices. Researchers will work on developing endoscopy devices, autonomous wheel-chair, how to minimise hospital-acquired infections as well as percutaneous access devices.
The import cost of medical equipment or devices is very high. The maintenance cost of these devices is also very high. So, the indigenous production of medical equipment will put a check on the outflow of foreign currency as well as medical treatment will be affordable in the country.
Professor Amitabh Upadhyaya of IIT-Kanpur in an exclusive conversation with ETV Bharat, said, "No doubt the project is highly ambitious. We have been working on six flagship projects under which cost-effective medical devices will be developed in the country."
"Medical devices or equipment are imported from foreign countries. The equipment is costly and its maintenance is also costly. The production of this medical equipment will reduce the medical treatment cost as well as we will be able to save our foreign currency," said Professor Upadhyaya, adding, "So, we are being encouraged by the Central government to work on the project."
"The Research and Development Department of Gangwal School of Medical Sciences has started functioning. So, the six flagship projects have begun. We are making percutaneous access devices, endoscopes, autonomous wheelchairs or you can call it driverless wheelchairs as well as how to control hospital-acquired infections. These projects are in a nascent stage and will take four to five years to show results."
