Medical-technology company Medtronic is looking to take its partnership model with the Punjab government for stroke-care to other states as well, a top company executive said.
The aim is to ensure the impact of a stroke is managed within 24 hours of the event happening, said Mandeep Singh Kumar, Managing Director & Vice President, Medtronic India.The company has a partnership with the Punjab government and CMC Ludhiana to streamline stroke-care by linking smaller centres to a central hub. It has also partnered with Qure.ai, bringing in artificial intelligence to screen the risk in patients and ensure the right patient pathway is prescribed, he told businessline.
The company has partnerships across five states – Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat and Kerala – but Punjab is the only partnership with the Government, and the plan is to take the model to more states, he said. Similar partnership models are also being looked at for other disease areas, he said.
With “vein clinics”, for example, the focus is addressing varicose veins that can be a concern when left untreated, he said. “We’re ensuring that our technology is helping people get the right treatment by establishing these vein clinic centres,” he added. Explaining the company’s role, a representative said, Medtronic provides the varicose vein treatment solutions, along with training and education for healthcare professionals and patient education and awareness initiatives, to enhance patient outcomes. Presently, it has helped set up three vein clinics across three states – with Swizton Group in Aveksha Hospital, Bengaluru; Vein and Foot Clinic, Chennai, and Hyderabad Vascular Center, Hyderabad, the representative said.
Stroke registry
Outlining work being done on stroke, he pointed out, PRAAN – an industry-sponsored registry on mechanical thrombectomy had collected real-world data on the use of stroke devices in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) caused by large vessel occlusion. The PRAAN registry enrolled 200 patients over 24 months, across 14 centres, and demonstrated that mechanical thrombectomy is a safe, effective, as well as cost-effective treatment for AIS in India, a company representative explained.
The Ireland-headquartered company had in 2020 announced an investment of ₹1,200 crore, over five years, in scaling-up its research and development centre in Hyderabad, besides employing about 1000 people. This is among the largest investments outside the US, he said, adding “it continues to be at the forefront of our software design and technology development.”