TOP LEADING HOSPITALS IN INDIA

About AMRI Hospitals AMRI Hospitals is one of the largest private healthcare service networks in Eastern India, with three multi specialty tertiary hospitals and a stateof-the-art day care centre in Kolkata, along with another multi specialty tertiary hospital at Bhubaneswar, Odisha. With employee strength of more than 5,000 healthcare professionals, the Group takes care of around 4.5 lakh patients annually, conducting over 35,000 successful surgeries. AMRI has an impressive roster of more than 800 doctors, and a well-trained force of nurses & technicians, who work tirelessly across 1,000-plus beds, backed by advanced technologies and latest equipment. The Group is headed towards a path of steady growth, and is all set to add around 700 beds in the near future at its upcoming cancer hospital in Bhubaneswar, and another tertiary hospital project in Kolkata.

How do you see your Hospital as Top Leading Hospital in India?

AMRI Hospitals brings to the table a class of its own, making the healthcare group a major player in keeping Eastern India ahead of the curve. The Group offers a variety of treatment solutions, and has notched up several ‘first time in India’ and ‘first time in Eastern India’ records in terms of using latest technologies and breaking new grounds. From pioneering leadless pacemakers to using mesh & glue for stitch-less orthopaedic surgeries, the Hospital group has been providing value-for-money services, ever since its launch in 1996. Over the last 25 years, AMRI’S hallmark has been a committed team of doctors and caregivers, who take up the challenge of treating the most complicated cases, besides stepping up to handle Emergency and Critical Care with dedication, expertise and compassion. The healthcare Group has made immense contributions to the lives of people, not just from Kolkata and the rest of Eastern India, but also from other parts of South Asia and the world.

How did you overcome the challenges as a Top Leading Hospital in Covid19 times?

Every since its beginning, AMRI Hospitals has recorded exemplary clinical outcome, which has continued to be the Group’s priority even during the COVID-19 pandemic, from its first appearance in 2020. Even though the pandemic came as a major disruptor, like it has been across India, given the initial lack of knowledge about the virus, we managed to find our foothold soon. We started by making significant changes to our infrastructure and

modified our SOPS to meet the needs of the hour. We set up isolation wards, formulated fresh protocols for treatment, infection control, and sanitisation, ensured the safety and well-being of doctors, nurses, and other staff, so that we could continue functioning normally for our patients.

We became the first private hospital in Eastern India to dedicate a building for COVID patients, and by March 2021, we had four of our seven towers in Kolkata set aside for the purpose. We also tied up with hotels to set up satellite centres, and even turned India’s largest soccer stadium at Salt Lake into a field, besides creating several clinical records by sending back home even the most critical COVID-19 patients.

AMRI Hospitals’ Mission & Vision

AMRI Hospitals brings to the table a class of its own, making the healthcare group a major player in keeping Eastern India ahead of the curve. The Group treats more than 4.5 lakh people every year and conducts around 15,000 surgeries annually, providing valuefor-money services, backed by advanced equipment and latest technologies. The hallmark of AMRI Hospitals is a committed team of doctors and caregivers, who take up the challenge of treating the most complicated cases, besides stepping up to handle Emergency and Critical Care with dedication, expertise and compassion. Over the last three decades, the healthcare Group has made immense contributions to the lives of people, not just from Kolkata and the rest of Eastern India, but also from other parts of South Asia and the world.

How competitive you are in your services?

The focus of AMRI Hospitals is to provide its patients valuefor-money treatment and services, supported by world class human resources and latest technologies. Every since its beginning, AMRI has been a market leader in quality healthcare and has been the first healthcare group to introduce several new technologies to not just Eastern India, but across the entire nation. We have conducted pioneering surgeries & procedures, from nano pacemakers to TAVI in cardiac care, use of O-ARM for advanced neuro care, and Renal Denervation Therapy, the latest in hypertension management, among various other such advanced equipment and implants across various specialities. We also launched the 361o initiative, which takes a holistic approach towards healthcare, and as the name suggests, goes a step beyond by providing value-added services, like virtual home care, telemedicine, cab services to and fro for OPD patients, and home sample collection, among many other features. At AMRI, we continue to look for advanced technologies so that we can provide our patients the best clinical outcome, which gives us an edge over others in the sector. At AMRI Hospitals, we also have a patient welfare cell, which actively works towards providing patients from lower economic backgrounds quality treatment, including complex surgeries and procedures, at free or heavily discounted rates, aided by our partner network of NGOS and the Group’s mother organisation, Emami.

Avision that first came to Dr. Naresh Trehan, while practising surgery at the NYU Medical Center in the USA. For every 1000 Indian patients he treated there, another 1000 couldn’t even afford to fly down. That’s when he realised that India needed to have an advance multispecialty medical institution of its own. An institution which not only treats, but trains and innovates too, while providing international standards of technology, infrastructure, clinical care, and a fusion of traditional Indian and modern medicine.

All at one-tenth the cost.

That’s how Medanta was born in 2009 and our continuous efforts of staying true to our core mission, under the leadership of Dr. Naresh Trehan has made us the BEST PRIVATE HOSPITAL IN INDIA.

Max Healthcare Institute Limited ("Max Healthcare") is one of India’s largest healthcare organizations. We operate 17 healthcare facilities (3400+ beds) across the NCR Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Maharashtra. Almost 85% of our bed capacity is in Metro/tier 1 cities. Apart from hospitals, Max Healthcare also operates a homecare business and pathology business under brand names Max@home and Max Labs respectively. Max@home offers health and wellness services at home while Max Lab provides Pathology Services outside our hospital network.

Max Healthcare is promoted and led by Abhay Soi as its Chairman and Managing director and co- promoted by KKR, the iconic Global Private equity fund.

Tell us something about Ansell. Ansell is a leading global provider of protection solutions. We design, develop, and manufacture a wide range of protection solutions that meet our customers' ever-changing needs and demands. Millions of people every day rely on Ansell's innovative products and safety solutions to protect them in the workplace or at home. The same dedication to quality that started over 125 years ago continues today as Ansell has grown to serve 25 global industries in 120 countries in ways that shape and protect our modern world. How does Ansell plan to expand in India?

Ansell has expanded rapidly since 2017. Ansell India now operates with a dedicated team in Private, Public, Pharmacy, Dental, and e-commerce. All verticals are showing exponential growth and opportunities. In July 2021, Ansell announced an investment of ~$80m over the next three years to build a new manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu (India). The facility will have the capability to produce a wide range of products, with an initial focus on surgical and life science gloves for the Indian domestic market and for export. The new manufacturing plant will be designed and built-in line with Indian Green Building Council criteria to minimize water and energy use, maximize renewable energy use, and meet zero liquid discharge. It will set a new benchmark at Ansell for sustainable manufacturing. It will create an important diversification in Ansell's manufacturing footprint and create significant new capacity to supply our industry-leading portfolio of surgical and life science protection solutions to customers globally. The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Thiru M. K. Stalin and the Industry Minister of the State, Thiru Thangam Thennarasu laid the foundation stone for the new Ansell plant. This investment in India demonstrates again our long-term commitment to growing surgical and life sciences businesses and satisfying the needs of our customers. It will produce latex powder-free as well as synthetic gloves to cover the increasing demand for quality surgical gloves in India India under the 'Make in India' initiative (Atmanirbhar Bharat).

Upender Chauhan Commercial Director South Asia

Our global brands Gammex & Encore surgical gloves are recommended by world’s TOP surgeons.

Since we are talking about powderfree gloves, how is Ansell working towards promoting & educating the end-users about powder-free gloves?

India still is predominantly a powdered glove market be it surgical or examination gloves. Powder was introduced in gloves to facilitate donning as latex is sticky while donning. The technology has come a long way since then. Moreover, powdered gloves have many hazardous and harmful effects for healthcare professionals and patients alike. Because of that, in 2017 the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) enforced a ban on powdered gloves. Germany was the first country to ban powdered gloves in 1998, with the US, UK, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and others shifting to powderfree gloves soon after. Ansell India has always been at the forefront to provide the highest quality and widest portfolio of surgical and examination gloves to meet the needs of hospitals, surgical centers, dental and general healthcare providers around the world. What are the technologies that go into making Ansell gloves? How does it help in surgical and dental settings?

Ansell has always been a leader in

innovation when it comes to hand protection. We are proud of many firsts, starting with the first commercial production of surgical gloves in the world. Ansell has always been committed to providing the highest quality and broadest portfolio of surgical and examination gloves to meet the needs of hospitals, surgical centers, dental and general healthcare providers around the world. Our products feature unique formulations and proprietary technologies such as DERMASHIELD™, ERGOFORM™, ART™, HYDRASOFT™, SENSOPRENE™, SUREFIT™, HYBRID™ and PEARL™ to deliver advanced glove solutions. i.e. ergonomic comfort to reduce hand fatigue, advanced allergy protection and superior barrier protection.

What are the brands that you currently have in the market?

Ansell markets several well-established brands: GAMMEX® surgical gloves are engineered to respond to the evolving user needs of the surgical community. ENCORE® surgical deliver optimized solutions to provide a high degree of confidence to surgeons, OR nurses and surgical technicians seeking protection with a high level of dexterity, comfort and grip. The MICRO-TOUCH® premium medical examination gloves are scientifically designed to fully equip and comfortably protect medical professionals.

What should a Healthcare Practitioner look for while buying a good quality glove? And why is it important?

When looking for a good quality glove, a person should look at the AQL (Acceptable Quality Level) level; a low values is better as it is an indicator of pinholes in gloves. Ansell offers gloves with patented technologies like HYDRASOFT™ which has an odorless water-based coating applied on the inside of the glove that helps retain moisture and rehydrates the skin to improve the wearers' skin condition and perform at its best. Our US Ergo certified gloves offer the perfect fit and feel which helps the wearers perform at their best. ERGOFORM™ Ergonomic Design Technology allows for more comfortable gloves that improve performance and ease musculoskeletal stress that could lead to injuries and many more. DERMASHIELD™ helps the HCP in fast and easy damp or dry hand donning whether it is the first don or during intraoperative changes. ART Technology is a proprietary process, integrated into the manufacturing line that helps add an extra level of robustness by minimizing possible defects that may later result in pinholes. These technologies help us differentiate and add uncompromised hand protection for HCP and offering high quality glove.

Ansell is preferred by most of the top surgeons/specialty doctors. I would like to know your comments on that.

Our global brands Gammex & Encore surgical gloves are recommended by world's top surgeons. Driven by innovation, our sterile gloves feature unique formulations that protect them and their patient in all surgical settings. Gammex feels like the second skin while performing a procedure and gives them optimum protection. Our SENSOPRENE technology delivers a glove up to 30% thinner so wearers' experience a high degree of sensitivity without compromising on durability and the optimum skin protection needed from allergies and sensitivities caused by latex or chemical accelerators.

Do you plan to expand your portfolio in the coming time?

Since we see a lot of potential in the healthcare segment, we plan to expand our portfolio by introducing Gammex Latex AMT glove. It comes with Ansell proprietary Antimicrobial Technology that kills 99.68% (in under 1min) of Hepatitis C virus surrogate HIV -1 strain Mn 8 common infectious bacteria and also protects the wearer from Covid-19 virus. We plan introduce Glove-in-glove which is a latex, pre-donned double gloving system of two gloves in one, making it easy to double glove in one don for optimum hand protection from viral penetration. We further plan to extend our portfolio to radiation gloves with Gammex PI Radiation Attenuation, which is a Polyisoprene protective shield that protects hands from scattered radiation exposure during fluoroscopic procedures. To support our expansion in E-commerce platforms and the alternate care portfolio, we plan to launch many Retail and E-commerce compliant packs which will assist us in reaching new markets, geographies, capture new customers and provide the right hand protection solutions to first-time buyers. We want to ensure easy access to quality hand protection solutions across Dental, Ecommerce and Pharmacies as we see there is good awareness and demand created for quality products.

Do you see any gaps in the industry currently? How do you plan to fill those gaps?

We still see a significant gap in awareness about gloves at all levels including HCPS. During the COVID-19 pandemic we have seen substandard gloves being pushed in many markets. We continue to educate HCPS about quality and technologies that are important to end-users through training and roadshows. As I shared earlier, a lot of people have been using powdered gloves predominantly even today, even after it being banned in countries like US, U.K., Germany, Japan and many following soon after due to its harmful effects on HCP and patients. Looking at the harmful effects we intend to bridge the gap by conducting education programs and shifting the HCPS to powder-free gloves. We continue to invest in more production capacity and capabilities. The facility will be fully integrated with its own compounding, dipping, packaging, Gamma sterilization and warehouse facilities.

As the pandemic caught hold of the world, Dentists felt the effects of lockdowns, suspension of routine work, and restricted movement for patients and clinicians alike. During the first wave of the pandemic, routine dental services were restricted due to limited supply of personal protective equipment (PPE), to contribute in flattening the curve, and protect patients and dental personnel against infection.

The inevitable consequence of such conditions was a significant reduction in turnover, affecting cash flow and dental practitioners encountered financial strain. The pandemic caused two major implications on dental practitioners: the dental clinicians’ earnings got affected and even patients were not too keen on seeking treatments.

CHANGES BROUGHT ABOUT BY THE PANDEMIC

The pandemic-induced lockdowns meant that people placed their elective surgeries and dental treatments on the backburner; thus drying up the inflow of people that needed regular in-facility interventions such as root canals and cosmetic treatments. Losses in revenue have been met with a sharp increase in costs for dental establishments since the beginning of the pandemic.

Patient Unwillingness:

As the economic effects of lockdowns started to reflect, along with fears of contracting Covid-19, patients also put dental treatments on the backburner due to financial constraints, choosing to only undertake treatment for serious conditions.

Time Inconveniences for Dentists in Dealing with Multiple Vendors:

A dental clinic includes many moving parts like high-tech equipment such as dental chairs, X-ray machines, innumerable consumables, disposables like masks, gloves, syringes and precision instruments like endo motors, handpieces etc. Usually, the same vendor will never have all product types at hand, thus pushing dentists to approach multiple vendors. Therefore, taking away precious time and energy that dentists could devote to treating patients.

Increasing Trend of Dentists Buying Online:

Supply chains and the manufacturing ecosystem suffered due to lockdowns, as industries witnessed complete shutdowns. This in turn affected clinical procurement, which led dentists to move to buying medical supplies through online channels.

Lengthy Documentation for Finance:

Financial procedures that can easily be done in one visit, often require multiple visits. Lengthy finance approval processes make setting up a dental clinic more stressful.

HOW MEDIKABAZAAR DENTAL HELPS

Medikabazaar, India’s largest online portal for B2B medical supplies and equipment, offers the most comprehensive and largest catalogue for dental products. Our dedicated dental microsite is designed for dentists and dental clinics with an aim to provide an entire gamut of dental solutions under one roof. Under this initiative, Medikabazaar has put together a variety of offerings making the microsite a compelling value proposition vis-avis product range, crowns, financing options, and special offers and discounts. Dentists can set up their whole dental clinic simply by visiting medikabazaar. com/dental where they can explore India’s widest dental catalogue with over 20,000 products. From procuring authentic dental supplies and product discovery to price comparison between various brands, the platform offers of a plethora of features. It also facilitates the final delivery of the entire range of products needed to set up a dental clinic. Medikabazaar Dental has offerings tailored for all dental needs, be it for individual practitioners wanting to set up or upgrade their establishment, dental clinics aiming to buy products (on a one-time/recurring basis), or hospitals wanting to procure complete dental supplies.

Besides solving problems of having to deal with multiple vendors, Medikabazaar is also providing financing options to make setting up dental clinics easy and affordable, with the help of our smart and flexible payment offering Medikabazaar Freedom. Dental practitioners can also avail a flat discount on dental products for orders above Rs. 2,499 as part of the special online offer.