Kamineni acquires Philips CT scanner

IT is for the heart. "The best way I can put it is from the words of a popular magazine that says how to stop a heart attack even before it happens," said consulting radiologist, Vijay Bhaskar, Kamineni Wockhardt Hospitals, that acquired the most advanced cardiac CT scanner "" Philips Brilliance CT scanner "" from Philips Electronics India Limited at a cost of about Rs 5.5 crore.

Speaking on the inauguration of the installation of the CT scanner, Anjan Bose, managing director, Philips Medical Systems Private Limited (now Philips Electronics India Limited), said, "This revolutionary medical technology was showcased by Philips at the Radiological Society of North America - 2004, the world's largest annual medical meeting and speaks how advanced the technology is."

The scanner can process 200 images per second, completing a full body scan in less than 28 seconds and present the CT coronary status in less than 8 seconds. "Till date, Philips has installed 11 such CT scanners in the country," Bose said.

"Our focus is on two segments "" imaging that includes CT, MRI, X-Ray, ultrasound and cathlab, and measurement systems that include patient monitoring systems such as CCUs and ICUs," he said, adding, "Our market share in Cathlab is more than 55 per cent and in CT scan, we have a share of 42 per cent."

Speaking about the company's future strategy, Bose said, "We would continue our leadership in cardiology and critical care area and drive growth in imaging, oncology and women's health. We plan to be a leader in molecular imaging, an emerging area that deals with 'forecast of diseases."

"The embedded software in all the medical equipment manufactured by Philips overseas is being done at the development centre in Bangalore," he said commenting on the Indian operations of Philips.

The present volume of medical systems market in India is about Rs 1,800 crore. "We have a 20 per cent market share and plan to achieve a 25-30 per cent growth over last year," he said.