[EMAIL PROTECTED] IITian shows how to make locally and sell globally Oct. 9, 2004
For any IITian, working in MNCs for a handsome pay is the safest and smartest bet. But V Sasi Kumar's ingenuity was operating on a different plane. Heeding his own intuition, he started Phoenix Medical Systems Private Ltd. to make medical equipment for mother and baby care. Today, in less than two decades, not only hospitals in India and some Third World countries, but also medical establishments in Switzerland and the US have begun to import the Phoenix baby-warmers and photo therapy units. The product has recently been approved by the FDI. The company expects the same response to its other products. At the local level, many doctors and hospitals have been consulting Sasi Kumar to set up comfortable ICUs, labour rooms and other wards. ``I never thought I was going to make it. It was not easy at all,'''' says Sasi Kumar. He Phoenix project was inspired by his prototype baby incubators he had made during his final-year in IIT. ±``Senior paediatricians were thrilled. They encouraged me to pursue further research in the area. Nevertheless, when I told my parents and relatives about it, they thought I was crazy to reject offers from world's best manufacturing companies,'''' recalls Sasi Kumar. A determined Sasi Kumar was not ready to leave anything to chance. He spent several days and nights in different wards of hospitals to understand the needs of a child, a doctor, paramedical staff and attenders. He looked for drawbacks in the existing products, the difficulties and the comforts they gave. That was his first R&D work for the company. In 1993, the company came out with an incubator with the world's first oval-shaped single-mould bed. Most raw material and spare parts, barring a few electronic gadgets, were indigenous. Hospitals and many senior paediatricians found the equipment at least 50 percent cheaper than the imported ones. ``What's more important was we signed annual maintenance contracts with our customers. We were available round-the-clock and the hospitals found our value-added services like import of allied equipment attractive,'''' says Sasi Kumar. At present, Pheonix's customers include Governments of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, Escorts (Delhi), Apollo Hospitals Group and Kanchi Kamakoti Child Trust Hospital. ``They did not want an equipment with wires jutting out as it can horrify the patient. Instead, they asked for one that could be hidden inside cupboards. A family suite that would double up as labour ward or a paediatric ICU that is child-friendly and also a sterile zone.'''' Sasi Kumar is still aiming higher. He says his dream is to be a part of the hospital planning team. ``We will do it some day,'''' he says. Despite the success, Sasi Kumar is rattled by the lack of legislation to check the quality of medical equipment. ``A drug has to go through several rounds of animal and clinical trials. In contrast, even a tin box can be marketed as an ECG machine and no authority questions the manufacturer. In the absence of proper rules, we will end up playing with more lives,'''' he regrets. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Make a clean sweep of pop-up ads. Yahoo! Companion Toolbar. Now with Pop-Up Blocker. Get it for free! http://us.click.yahoo.com/L5YrjA/eSIIAA/yQLSAA/BRUplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> *************************************************************************** Berdikusi dg Santun & Elegan, dg Semangat Persahabatan. Menuju Indonesia yg Lebih Baik, in Commonality & Shared Destiny. www.ppi-india.uni.cc *************************************************************************** __________________________________________________________________________ Mohon Perhatian: 1. Harap tdk. memposting/reply yg menyinggung SARA (kecuali sbg otokritik) 2. Pesan yg akan direply harap dihapus, kecuali yg akan dikomentari. 3. Lihat arsip sebelumnya, www.ppi-india.da.ru; 4. Posting: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 5. Satu email perhari: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 6. No-email/web only: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 7. kembali menerima email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ppiindia/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/