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MEDICAL TEXTILES OPPORTUNITIES AND

CHALLENGES AHEAD FOR INDIAN MANUFACTURERS

K.CHITRA11TM03

PGDM(T)

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Overview

Medical textiles Healthcare & Hygiene Technological Advancements Opportunities & Challenges Govt. policy support required

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Medical Textiles Medical textiles is an emerging sector of technical

textiles industry and its growth is fuelled due to constant improvements in healthcare as well as innovations in the textile field.

The use of textile materials for medical and healthcare products can be classified into following main areas –

- Barrier material (for infection control)- Bandaging & pressure garment- Wound care material- Hygiene material- Implantable material (sutures, art. Joints etc)- Extra Corporal devices (like art. Kidney etc)

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Medical Textiles Requirements of textile material for

medical applications

Biocompatible Good resistance to alkalis, acids and

micro-organisms Good dimensional stability Elasticity Free from contamination or impurities Absorption / Repellency Air permeability.

The various applications of different fibre in medical field are shown as follows:

Sr No. Fibre Application in medical field

1 CottonSurgical clothing gowns, Beddings, Sheets, Pillow cover, Uniforms, Surgical hosiery

2 Viscose Caps, Masks, Wipes

3 PolyesterGowns, Masks, Surgical cover drapes, Blankets, Cover stock

4 Polyamide Surgical hosiery

5 Polypropylene Protective clothing

6 Polyethylene Surgical covers, Drapes

7 Glass Caps mask

8 Elastomeric Surgical hosiery5

• Includes products like – • Surgical / wound dressings• Gowns / drapes• Diapers / femcare pads / adult incontinence

diapers• Bedsheets / curtains / Towels / Mitts / Wipes

• Largest segment of Medical Textiles• One of the fastest growing segment in Textiles

Healthcare & Hygiene

• In India, traditionally this segment is dominated by Woven Textiles

• Lately, new technology Nonwoven products have provided innovative product options

• Reasons for growth of this segment –• Growing awareness among society for

hygiene and safety• Frequent interactions of medical

professionals with international medical societies

• Availability of new technologically advanced products

• Medical tourism

Healthcare & Hygiene

crucial issues regarding medical products

Natural against chemical or manufactured fibres

Disposable against reusable or durable fabrics

Antibacterial or antimicrobial fibres against

finishes or coatings for infection control

Methods of disposal of clinical waste i.e. landfills

against incineration and other forms of medical and

clinical waste disposal8

• Fabrics with anti-microbial properties• Fire retardant fabrics• Nonwoven fabrics – They are engineered fabrics

from sheet of fibres, with desired properties (performance characteristics) to suite specific applications; such as –• Very high fluid repellency or absorbency• Extremely low linting• Fast wicking of liquids• Anti-static

Nonwoven fabrics are providing customized solutions in cost effective manner, and are thus taking important place in meditech worldwide

Technological Advancements

• With the growing awareness, the world is going for stringent product quality standards. • There is a need to align Indian standards with these global developments, like –

• Barrier efficiency of gowns / drapes• Chemical & Micro-biological testing for dressings

• There is need to adopt standards for newly developed products, like –

• Disposable gowns• Nonwoven dressings• Face masks

Advancements in product standards

Opportunities & Challenges aheadOpportunities – Consumption is increasing rapidly Pvt. Hospital chains are growing Doctor/patient awareness for hygiene is increasing Medical tourism

Challenges – China has become very strong in most of Healthcare

& hygiene products There are very few BIS standards in place leading to

substandard quality products being used Export benefits like DD/DEPB not notified for many

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Consumption of different categories of medical textiles:

SR Medical Textile Product Market potential (Rs Mn)

2005 2010

1 Sanitary Napkins 4819 8519

2 Incontinence diapers 605 1070

3 Surgical dressing 5828 10302

4 Health care textiles 1491 2635

5 Sutures 3160 5587

6 Medical devices & Implants

1190 2104

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Govt. Policy Support Required

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⇒ Fast development of BIS standards in lieu with the International standards. Lot of new product standards to be added

⇒ Amendment of Drugs & Cosmetics Act to accommodate new technologies such as nonwoven products

⇒ To promote new technology products, Govt. hospitals to be advised on the advantages of these products and their BIS standards

Govt. Policy Support Required

EXCISE TARIFF

PRODUCTS EXCISE DUTY

DEPB DUTY DRAWBACK

3005 1020

ADESIVE DRESSINGS / TAPES

10 % NIL 1%

3005 9040

BANDAGES 10% NIL 1%

3307 1090

WET WIPES / PATIENT MITTS

10% NIL 5%

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⇒ There is immense potential for exports of medical textile products from India. However, no DEPB / DD rates are declared for most of the products, to cover the local duties paid. Some examples are -

Three important lessons might be useful for present and future entrepreneurs interested to develop

Medical Textile products:

1. Manufacturing is an integrated system

2.Manufacturing must be driven by customers’

experiences and needs, not solely based on

profitability

3. Embrace innovation and bring changes

before your competitors adopt that

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Last but not the least, manufacturers of

Medical Textile products must keep them

abreast of the ethical issues and international

standard norms. With great strength of Textile

technologists in our country, India has a huge

potential to be the leader in the World in the

field of Medical Textiles.16

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THANK YOU