Mart to take GE medical devices to rural India

Kolkata February 10, 2014:- Taking a cue from the success story in Bangladesh, rural marketing consultancy firm Mart is chalking out plans to introduce low-cost ultrasound devices in Indian villages.

Three years ago, Mart, along with the UK’s GE Healthcare and Bangladesh’s Grameen Bank, had begun to provide affordable healthcare to rural Bangladesh. While GE Healthcare developed a low-cost ultrasound machine, Mart convinced midwives to buy the devices with loans from Grameen Bank.

Pradeep Kashyap, founder and CEO of Mart, said the idea brought assured primary healthcare at the doorstep in Bangladesh. GE Healthcare is now planning to replicate the model in rural India, he said.

“GE Healthcare plans to bring in low-cost portable ultrasound machines in India. We are in talks with the Medical Council of India and hope something will work out soon,” Kashyap said on the sidelines of the fourth convocation ceremony of Calcutta Business School.

He, however, is apprehensive of implementing the project in India, where the healthcare device norms are stricter.- Business Line