DePuy, a Johnson & Johnson outfit and a globally well-known name in the fields of orthopaedics, spinal care and neuroscience therapies, is hoping to secure a strong presence in the Indian market by fixing a solution to the critical issues of ‘4As'.
According to Michael del Prado, Company Group Chairman, Johnson & Johnson Medical Asia Pacific, the ‘4As' — accessibility, awareness, affordability and adaptability — have been a huge impediment for a larger section of the Indian population to get treatment for orthopaedic problems.
He estimated that there could be around five million people in India with orthopaedic diseases.
However, the number of orthopaedic surgeons was just around 1,000 across the whole country.
These limited surgeons had only limited access to latest procedures in the field. Even where there was access, adaptability to the local needs had proved to be a key resistance factor, he felt.
The setting up of an institute for advanced education and research in orthopaedic and neurological care at the Mahindra World City near here by DePuy, he felt, would go a long way in providing an effective combat to the increasing number of orthopaedic cases that cut across age groups.
Mr. Prado was confident that the DePuy centre, its second orthopaedic and neurological care centre outside the U.S., would be able provide training in advanced procedures to 1,000 surgeons every year. Essentially, the institute, he said, would serve as a hub for education, training and research across the continuum of orthopaedic and neurological care. He said the courses offered by the institute would be certified by the Medical Council of India (MCI). The MGR University too had agreed to provide ‘credit' to those students who successfully completed the courses conducted by the institute.
The institute, according to Gary Fischetti, Company Group Chairman, DePuy Franchise, would offer both basic and advanced surgical courses. Though these courses were priced, DePuy would subsidise courses that involved training in the use of its own instruments/devices and technologies. The institute would also offer distance learning opportunities by partnering faculties across the globe. Primarily, Mr. Prado said, the institute would aim at bridging the skill gap in healthcare, in general, and in orthopaedic care, in particular.
Mr. Prado said that Depoy had only a long-term vision for India. Given the growth of the insurance industry and with public-private participation, DePuy, he felt, would be well positioned to play a greater role in the burgeoning Indian healthcare industry.
