Lifeclinic International, the largest manufacturer of health stations in the world, is in talks

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with an India-based healthcare company to launch 100 health centres in Andhra Pradesh. The health centres would allow patients to monitor their blood pressure levels to avoid heart attacks and other diseases, Lifeclinic stated.

“This would be a pilot project. Depending on its success, similar programmes could be launched in other states,” said Rohit Chohan, business head of Lifeclinic’s India arm.

The company is also planning to join hands with a bank which has pan-national presence to provide healthcare services to the bank’s clients.

T Venkateswar Goud, president, Lifeclinic India, said that the country offers a huge, untapped market for medical devices, especially for treating chronic ailments like blood pressure. “Almost 80 per cent of the deaths due to chronic diseases are recorded in developing nations like India, where awareness levels are still low. The number of such deaths is expected to reach 7.6 million a year by 2020,” he said.

The company has invested Rs 26.4 crore in its India operations. It has completed over 100 installations in the last couple of years since its entry in the market, which include the offices of Jet Airways and State Bank of Hyderabad as well as outlets of Apollo Pharmacies and More Pharmacies. It is targeting sales of 1,100 machines in 2010.

“We are in talks with major business houses in Mumbai and Delhi to have our systems installed in their premises. Looking at the size of the market, we expect to be selling 1 lakh machines a year within a decade,” Goud says.

Lifeclinic’s automated health stations help identify early risk factors in chronic diseases and prevent progression. Each round of checking costs the patient between Rs 10 to Rs 30, depending on the complexity of the test. The machines are priced between Rs 1,70,000 to Rs 12 lakh. The company has its network in Delhi, Mumbai, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala and plans to open dealerships all over the country in future.