GE Healthcare strengthens 'Make in India' capability for accessible healthcare

With enhanced capabilities, GE on Wednesday announced the launch of Revolution ACTs, first Computed Tomography system designed and developed by GE Healthcare in India. 

 

The Revolution ACTs is manufactured in India for India and the world. 

 

The Revolution ACTs is the result of Rs.120 Crores investment and collaborative efforts of GE and Indian healthcare providers for over 4 years.

 

Speaking at the occasion, John Flannery, President and CEO of GE Healthcare, said, “Make in India means much more than local manufacturing for us at GE Healthcare. It is a 360 degree thrust starting with designing and developing relevant solutions in partnership with our users; robust engineering of technologies; developing a world class supply chain, advanced manufacturing, expert user training and developing a network for distribution as well as maintenance of these solutions in the remotest parts of the country and world.   It represents our commitment to work towards making quality healthcare truly accessible and affordable for India as well as the world."

 

“We are proud that our first ever locally designed CT technology - Revolution ACTs is developed by the people of India, for the people of India. It is a testament to India’s intellectual, design and advanced manufacturing capabilities,” added Terri Bresenham, President& CEO of GE Healthcare South Asia.

 

Healthcare in India is under-served and under-consumed with its skewed imbalance in resources. India faces severe shortfall of both hard infrastructure and skilled talent, especially in Tier II-IV towns.  

 

While disruptive technologies have the potential to enhance infrastructure and care delivery, adoption of same has been restricted due to a number of factors like affordability, knowledge about its clinical utility, distribution, service, funding etc. For over 2 decades GE Healthcare has been innovating and making in India to enhance affordability and access of healthcare solutions. 

 

GE Healthcare has recently formed a new national network - GenWorks Health Pvt. Ltd and is endeavoring to address these severe challenges faced by healthcare providers in Tier II-IV towns.  

 

GenWorks has commenced operations with 150 highly experienced team members with each member having an average industry and leadership experience of 17 years.  GenWorks is rapidly building presence in 450 tier II-IV towns to take disruptive technologies, training and support closer to healthcare providers in a bid to give these first time users a high quality user experience.

 

“All initiatives to develop relevant technologies would be meaningless if they are not accessible to all and hence we also invested and built a national network. GenWorks Health Pvt Ltd will help us take these technologies to the grass root level and provide world-class training and support for doctors to ensure technology can benefit patient outcomes. Healthier India cannot be built in isolation and hence GE Healthcare is looking at an all-inclusive approach to achieve this. With GenWorks, we are stepping up our efforts to elevate the standard of healthcare services in tier II/III cities and towns through this new venture," said Terri Bresenham.

 

GE Healthcare has strengthened R&D facility with the inclusion of a Global Design Studio called eCube.  The studio serves the vital role of a stage for immersive research and collaborative co-creation of disruptive technologies with willing healthcare providers as partners. 

 

Revolution ACTs is the result of 4 years of research and development by 75 GE scientists and engineers in collaboration with over 500 healthcare providers from both urban and rural settings. The Revolution ACTs also achieved a remarkable feat of 5 global patents for its design and engineering. 

 

“Revolution ACTs is a journey into the needs of new users of CT in smaller towns. It's about innovating for affordability and defining solutions that deliver high quality diagnostic CT solutions in the most challenging healthcare markets. We hope to place one Revolution ACTs per district to improve access to quality diagnosis “said Milan Rao, Chief Operating Officer, GE Healthcare, India & South Asia. 

 

Revolution ACTs is 40% more affordable compared to previous generation 4 slice CT systems.  The total life cycle cost of Revolution ACTs is further reduced by its 8m2 compact footprint leading to 45% lower siting cost and 47% savings in electricity consumption. Making in India will bring in additional cheer to Indian healthcare providers - faster delivery, faster response and reduced import duties. Revolution ACTs introduces Clarity panel detector, exclusively developed for this product to improve image resolution, along with Smart Dose technologies to lower radiation dose by up to 36% while preserving high image quality.  It hosts an efficient digital workflow and an user interface that is easy to learn and use for even a first time user.

 

GE has developed a world class supplier base in India as well as facilities for assembly and testing. Over 30% of the product components and parts are either in-house manufactured or sourced from India and includes the heart of the machine – Generator and Tubes.  GE is the first company to manufacture advanced healthcare imaging technologies in India with its first factory set up in Bangalore in 1991. Today, GE Healthcare has three dedicated, world class manufacturing plants in Bangalore with over 400,000 sq. ft of manufacturing space that has produced over 200,000 units of medical technologies for the world. GE has been recognized as the largest medical electronics exporter for 11 consecutive years.