Bangalore opens the doors to Healthex 2010

The comprehensive International Health Exhibition on Medical, Surgical & Diagnostic equipments, Technology, Materials, Supplies and allied services

India's first wide range international exhibition on Medical, Surgical & Diagnostic equipments, Technology, Materials, Supplies and allied services had a grandeur opening with a high-profile inauguration by several luminaries the government and the industry.  
The four-day exhibition from 16th July 2010 at BIEC in Bangalore was inaugurated by Mr. Ramchandra Gowda(Medical Education, Government of Karnataka), Padma Vibhushan Dr. Prathap C. Reddy (Founder & Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group, Chairman, CII National Health Council and Chairman, Healthex), Dr. Naresh Trehan (Chairman, CII National Committee on Healthcare, Chairman and Director - Medanta), Mr. Hari S. Bhartia (President, Confederation of Indian Industry),   Mr. J. N. Godrej (Chairman, Bangalore International Exhibition Centre) and Mr. Anjan Bose (Vice-President and Head, Professional & Public Affairs, Philips Electronics India Ltd. and Co-Chairman, Healthex).

In his official address for the evening, Padma Vibhushan Dr. Prathap C. Reddy (Founder & Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group, Chairman, CII National Health Council and Chairman, Healthex) said, “There is a need to increase doctor to patient ratio and this can be done only by increasing hospital facilities across the country. The healthcare systems have to be more advanced technically and technologically. We also want the government to provide more world class medical institutions like AIIMS in other parts of the country and this is where the government plays a vital role both in Centre and the State.”

The eminent Cardiologist Dr. Naresh Trehan (Chairman and Director – Medanta, Chairman - CII National Committee on Healthcare) in his special address said, “Being Asia’s largest emerging market, India should look forward to improve the competitive strength of healthcare sector in order to meet the emerging healthcare challenges. Healthex is a crucial venture which brings together the consumers, doctors, surgeon, medical insurers, and medical device & equipment manufacturers from across different countries on a common platform to showcase, explore and understand the needs and new advancements in this industry globally.” 

The inauguration started with the welcome address by Mr. Hari S. Bhartia (President, Confederation of Indian Industry). Addressing the media, he said, “21st century healthcare needs remarkable improvements. Lower cost delivery models, higher quality, greater efficiency & better access to healthcare are the major concerns of the industry. Healthex 2010 - an initiative by CII and BIES is an endeavor to bring the best of the industry together and make way for entirely new and improved healthcare systems.”

As a keynote address, Mr. J. N. Godrej (Chairman, Bangalore International Exhibition Centre) said, “We believe that growth should be driven by adding technology in all value adds of various fields of the healthcare industry and Healthex is our first endeavor in this direction.”

Chief Guest for the evening, Mr. B. S. Yeddyurappa (Chief Minister, Government of Karnataka) mentioned that, “Healthex is Bangalore’s one of its kinds international exhibition on healthcare industry. It is a great honor for the state to host this exhibition at one of its best state – of – art venues - BIEC. In December 2007, Bangalore ranked 2nd among the 593 districts in the country in terms of existence of health facilities. Karnataka state is one of the pioneer states in the country in providing comprehensive public health services to its people. With an increasing number of super-specialty hospitals and other PHUs, I am happy to share that Bangalore has become increasingly popular in the field of health tourism.”

The inauguration was followed by a Ribbon cutting ceremony at the Exhibition Hall, which opened the doors to Healthex 2010 today.
The inaugural ceremony was preceded by two very interesting sessions - ‘Integrating Technology for Transforming Healthcare’ conducted by panel of experts from Dr Lal Path Labs, GE India, CISCO Systems India, Siemens Ltd., Antrix Corporation Limited and MediVed Innovations Ltd. The topics covered included - Strengthening Rural Health, Innovative Healthcare Solutions for better Healthcare: EMR, EPMS, Role of ICT in Transforming Healthcare, Moving Medical devices into home and Technology Partnerships in arresting costs: Pay per use models. Second session was a ‘CEOs Roundtable on Vision of 21st Century Healthcare System’ by CEOs and MDs from Nova Medical Centers Pvt. Ltd, Apollo Hospitals Ltd, Apollo Telemedicine Network, Johnson & Johnson Medical India, Fortis Healthcare Bangalore, HealthCare Global Enterprises Ltd, Columbia Asia Hospitals and Manipal Hospitals. Topics debated in this conference were - Recent Health Policy Initiatives taken by MoHFW, GOI, Health Disparity & Community Outreach, New trends and or drivers in Healthcare outside India, Connecting the Ecosystem: Role of E Health, Ingenious Model In India: PPP in Healthcare, Consumer driven affordable Health Coverage and Integrated Medicine: Scope in 21st century Healthcare.
Healthex 2010 is being hosted at BIEC’s state-of-the-art world-class facility spread across three large halls. Located in Bangalore, landscaped over 34 acers, BIEC complements its 40, 000 square meters of covered air - conditioned space in three aesthetically and functionally designed exhibition halls. Spread across 6500 square metres, this year's exhibition features over 70 participants from across India, from Germany, France, Netherlands, Hungary and Malaysia. There will be ample scope for establishing profitable business relationship and an opportunity to interact with others in the area of business and trade. Healthex will also be an ideal platform for non industry people to network with healthcare professionals, witness the newest innovations in technology in healthcare and interact with company ambassadors face-to-face to learn and explore the new developments in health industry globally.
                       
Other Key highlights of the exhibition:      

• Major associations such as ASI, IRIA, ACBI, ISA are partnered with this exhibition and they are holding scientific seminars, which makes it the first exhibition to have support from such medical associations.

• Participation of high-level domestic delegations from  National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS), Indian Railways, Central Government Health Services (CGHS), Public Sector Undertakings

• Best brains from across the industry will debate on the need for modern ICUs, recent trends in Clinical Biochemistry, Cardiology, Radiology, Oncology, new Surgical technology and techniques, role and importance of Robotic Radio Surgery in Cancer Care Delivery and the increased need to spread the awareness and importance of Green Hospitals in India.