The medical devices industry in India consists of large multinationals as well as small and medium enterprises (SMEs) growing at an unprecedented scale. There are over 750 domestic Medical Devices manufacturers in India. India’s medical devices market stood at US$ 11 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach US$ 65 billion in 2024. The export scenario looks equally promising, which was standing at Rs. 14,802 crore (US$2.1 billion) in 2019 and is expected to increase at a CAGR of 29.7% to reach Rs. 70,490 crore (US$10 billion) in 2025.
Companies in the field must make constant research and development investments to produce the innovations that drive market success and keep the statistics soaring. However, a sneak into the past will reveal, how the industry grew to being self-dependent.
After India’s Independence, the Indian surgical instruments Industry was in a nascent stage starting off. India’s demand for surgical instruments was mostly fulfilled through imports and was therefore expensive. With his experience in surgical instruments, Mr. Theodore George saw immense potential in this market. The huge demand from surgeons to supply quality surgical instruments at affordable prices was a promising industry to venture into.
Therefore, with a vision to serve customers with affordable high-quality surgical instruments, Mr Theodore George founded GESCO in the year 1962.
In 1985, Mr Samuel Williams George, the current CEO and the eldest son of Mr Theodore George joined the business as a young engineer. In the early 90s, Mr Samuel George, in his tenure, identified a gap in the market for good quality Spinal implants at affordable prices. At the time, this market was dominated by European and American giants. GESCO’s expertise in manufacturing high-quality surgical instruments was the right fit for the production of high-quality spinal implants at affordable prices.
Fast forward to today, GESCO is an award-winning company and is the largest spinal implants manufacturer in the Asia Pacific region. The company has over 450 employees, with offices in over 24 cities and an exhaustive dealer network in the country and has its presence in 6 continents across the globe.
Quality at the Centre
Gesco Healthcare has set benchmarks in product quality and that also forms a key differentiator. Allen Daniel George, VP – Strategy & Business Development at Gesco Healthcare reveals the true nature and reason for the uniqueness. He says, “Over 98% of our implants are produced and manufactured in-house. This approach gives us complete control of quality.”
GESCO is a 59-year-old organization, established, with a vision to Transforming Lives Every Day. The company is respected world-wide for the revolutionary contribution it still continues to make in the field of manufacturing Neuro, Orthopaedic, and Spinal implants, including an overwhelming array of high-quality Surgical instruments, ever since its existence. Gesco is certified by Indian FDA, ISO 13485, CE marking, US FDA, WHO-GMP, which are a testimony to the quality of products that the company offers.
Interestingly, GESCO has been awarded Patents by the US, Japan, Europe, Israel, Malaysia, besides, other countries, making GESCO the first and only Indian Orthopaedic implant company to achieve this feat. Gesco takes pride in a remarkable infrastructure with the intent to not only invest heavily in cutting-edge manufacturing technology but also focus on Innovation and Research & Development, in the organization. Such vigorous advancements have led the organization to win several awards.
Innovative Products of International Standards
Gesco has made a remarkable impression in the market with two of its many flagship products. GAAS (Goel Atlanto Axial System) and Halifax Nail. The GAAS – Goel Atlanto-Axial Spacer – is a GESCO exclusive patented system used in the C1-C2 Atlanto-Axial Joint, for basilar invagination, instability of C1-C2 joint, and Cranio-vertebral anomalies. GAAS is a revolution in cranio vertebral junction fixation technique.
At the same time, Halifax Nail has a rather inspirational story. Dr. Subhash Halder, an orthopaedic surgeon from the UK, invented the Gamma Nail for the fracture neck of the femur over 30 years ago. Till today it remains one of the most popular implants in the world to treat fractures neck of the femur, especially unstable extracapsular fractures.
Convinced by the quality of Gesco’s products and its promise to match the products to international standards, Dr. Halder came forward to collaborate with GESCO in 2013 to develop the new generation of the Gamma Nail that would address both intra-capsular as well as extra-capsular fracture of the femur by close method. They called it Halifax Nail. The Halifax Nail was awarded the US Patent along with patents from several other countries. As mentioned earlier, GESCO is the first and only Indian orthopedic Implants company to have international patents.
Machineries that Gesco deploys for its manufacturing are fully automatic, and have been imported from countries like Germany, Switzerland, and Japan, and, as Allen puts it, “architype, precision and accuracy”. Gesco ensures that its R&D team is one of the finest and the best equipped in the industry as the leadership believes in being proactive to incorporate innovation and support evolution.
Having achieved significant feats in its existing divisions, Gesco decided to foray into the Natural Remedies and Rehabilitation segment.
Transforming Lives Every Day
Enlightening the impact of the pandemic on the Indian healthcare sector, Allen beautifully expresses the essence of the work Gesco does. He says, “There is no denial that COVID 19 Pandemic and the resultant lockdown, has had a deep impact on the healthcare sector. I say this because our sector deals directly with saving and transforming lives. Subsequently, the lockdown of the health sector would mean a massive loss of life and lots of untreated ailments. It’s like, where the hardships to function intensified, our responsibility to operate multiplied”.
Allen Daniel George, Director & Vice President
Gesco essentially stretched its limits and paved the way to provide surgical instruments and other Orthopaedic and Spinal implant requisites for the patients whose treatment could not afford delay. Besides its regular line of commitment, aware of the desperate need for Covid protection gear, Gesco responded by manufacturing Face shields. Allen adds, “The unfortunate event has brought the whole world together and has succeeded in teaching us the importance of cooperation, oneness, and Living.
Today, gesco is an award-winning company and is the largest spinal implants manufacturer in the asia pacific region. The company has over 450 employees, with offices in over 24 cities and an exhaustive dealer network in the country and has its presence in 6 continents across the globe
I feel proud to be a part of the medical community and wholeheartedly appreciate our community for the kind of sensitivity it has shown to reinstate our belief in the fact that, the field of medicine, is the field that runs strictly on the principles of Humanity. The swiftness with which the whole community came into action to produce and provide PPE kits, masks, sanitizers, and medicines for the relief, is commendable. GESCO, too swiftly came into action and ever since, has been persistently active in manufacturing and providing health care units to the society”.
Constantly Learning & Evolving
Gesco Healthcare has a legacy of nearly 60 years. It’s unlikely that the organization survived without learning, adapting, and evolving. On the contrary, to remain the first choice for Orthopaedic and Spinal implants, and an impressive list of sophisticated surgical instruments and orthopaedic, CMF and spinal implants, Gesco has been, and continues to be constantly involved in research and development. The firm’s commitment to being the best is translated in the heavy investments that it makes in Research and Development. Gesco’s core competency is innovating or adopting the latest, and the best for both, the end-product, and the process of manufacturing.
“Over 98% of our implants are produced and manufactured in-house. This approach gives us complete control of quality”
Sharing his thoughts on what it means to belong to an industry, Allen says, “As an industry, the most critical goal is that our products deliver superior outcomes to patients, and since the world of engineering is ever evolving, it becomes a duty of all of us who belong to the industry to regularly, invent, innovate and adopt the top among the best. It won’t be wrong to say that the healthcare industry thrives for and sees growth in constant evolution”. He adds, “I think, here, it is important for me to mention, that, even a minor technological change like that of changing the angle of a screw thread, can lead to a better bone hold”.
Future Beholds Innovation in its Truest Forms
Gesco Healthcare aligns its whole operations by its Vision of “Transforming lives every day”. With the onset of a new work culture brought about by the pandemic, Gesco has revised norms of employee-presence, rearranged work-shifts, redistributed material, and other resources. More so, a new strategic division is being created at Gesco that involves bringing in experts from different work processes, to plan, organize and ensure free flow of work during any unfortunate event like COVID, inthe future.
Sharing some insights on Gesco Healthcare’s future, Allensays, “Gesco will remain determined to continue transforming the way the world views healthcare. We are resolute to bring forth a novel perspective towards leading a healthier and a happier life, we are focused on our endeavour to revolutionize medical standards across the globe”. Making all the fair moves toward this commitment, Gesco strategizes to leverage the collective genius of the medical community, to bring forth the best of new-age technologies in healthcare. While this objective is cumulatively strengthened by infinite contribution from the healthcare fraternity involving progressive stakeholders, partners, employees, and users, Gesco Healthcare looks towards a horizon wherein the firm continues to engage in groundbreaking innovation, and develop & provide affordable solutions of the uncompromised quality, to the customers worldwide.
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