ENGINEERING FOR MEDICINE

The pandemic saw a major burst of innovation and development in testing and diagnostics at the IITs. They are now building on that momentum.

- Pritha Roy Choudhury

During the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, as the number of cases rose and hospitals filled with patients, the healthcare system and even the common citizens needed more of everything urgently diagnostic kits, personal protective equipment (PPE) kits, masks, ventilators and more. In that situation, the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) were some of the first educational institutions to step up.

The IITs produced diagnostic kits and rapid tests; designed low-cost ventilators; special masks and PPE; sanitation systems in a short period of time. The IITs have continued to build on that momentum with new research centres, labs and collaborations.

India typically imports 87 percent of the total medical devices and equipment, worth approximately Rs. 50,000 crore every year, said B Ravi, institute chair professor, mechanical engineering department at IIT Bombay.

"We realized we can make the medical equipment required, our students can, although there are hiccups," said Amitabha Bandopadhyay, professor and in-charge bio-incubator facility, IIT Kanpur. He was part of the team that designed and built a viable low-cost ventilator within a week, in the early stages of the pandemic.

Testing problems

While India has skill and manufacturing costs are low, the main deterrent to development of medical equipment was the cost of research and development, safety testing and human clinical trials. "These cannot be avoided due to regulatory requirements, nor compromised since they directly affect product quality and reliability," said Ravi, adding, "marketing and distribution are also important to improve the visibility and availability of the devices among target users."