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The
trailblazing lead taken by Kerala to include the clause of auto-disability in
sourcing of medical syringes for government hospitals is set to boost the bottom
lines of syringe makers in the country, which have been battling the problem of
rampant reuse of syringes.
The
Kerala government’s decision is expected to give a major push to sales of
auto-disable syringes, which have a built-in auto-destruction facility that
prevents reuse. The development is not wholly unexpected as the World Health
Organization (WHO) and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency
Fund (UNICEF) are learnt to have decided to fund only the purchase of
auto-disable syringes. India has an estimated annual market of 2 billion pieces
of medical needles and 1.2 billion pieces of syringes. Average billing prices of
standard 2cc needles are slightly below Rs 1, while syringes carry a wholesale
price-tag of Rs 4 per piece. The industry has been at a distinct disadvantage
because of rampant and dangerous reuse of needles and syringes, which industry
sources say have led to communication of deadly diseases like hepatitis, while
simultaneously depressing needle and syringe sales.
Mr.
Augustine Thomas, medical superintendent in the Kerala health services, told ET
that the approval of purchase of auto-disable syringes by the Central Purchase
Committee (CPC) of the Health Department was expected to slowly push ordinary
syringes out of circulation. Mr. Pradeep K Sareen, general manager of
Delhi-based Hindustan Medical Devices (HMDL), said an increased awareness of
safety norms in the domestic market would augur well for the syringe and needle
industry HMDL, which had a Rs 150-crore turnover last year, exports 20 percent
of its output. |
