The Hindu Business Line : Siemens unveils total imaging matrix tech

SIEMENS Ltd has announced the launch of Total Imaging Matrix (Tim) technology, a new addition to the traditional process of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), here today. Tim was launched in Chicago five weeks back.

According to Mr Raghavan Dhandapany, Head of Medical Solutions Division of the company, Siemens is already in an advanced stage of discussions with more than six customers in the country for the supply of Tims, whose price ranges from Rs 5-8 crore.

Dr Christoph Zindel, Siemens Head of Market Segment, said that the new technology would make whole body imaging in a single sitting. It would reduce the exposure time for head-to-toe scan to 12 minutes as against 25 minutes in MRIs and thus eliminate claustrophobia in patients by almost 80 per cent. Besides, a built-in "audio comfort package" would reduce the noise level to the normal hearing range of 90 decibels as against 120 decibels in MRIs.

He said that Tim had also opened up a whole new world of clinical applications like whole metastasis, bone scans, whole body rheumatic lesion scans, scanning for lung cancer and breast metastasis.

Mr Dhandapany told Business Line that from the last three years Siemens Ltd had started looking at "B" and "C" class cities in the country for business opportunities.

Today, more than 60 per cent of the business of the company's medical solutions division was coming from non-metropolitan cities despite the fact modern medical equipment was concentrated in the metros.

In this regard, he pointed out that Delhi has as many as 39 MRIs at present as against just two in the entire State of Rajasthan.

He said that Siemens medical solutions division was continuously achieving a growth rate of 20 per cent per annum as against the industry growth rate of 10 to 12 per cent.

The company was able to achieve higher growth rate through introduction of new products based on modern technology. In the past 50 years, Siemens had sold in India 30,000 X Ray units, 400 CT Scanners and 150 MRIs.