Innovation Needed In The Field Of Diagnostics: Nair

G. Madhavan Nair, the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has said that there is a need to strengthen the area of diagnostics and make it easier for detecting sensitive diseases. Mr Nair was speaking on the occasion of the launch of the 64-slice CT scanner at Narayana Hrudayalaya at Bangalore.

"Almost all problems begin with the heart and it is in this context that early detection of heart disease gains importance," he said, adding that no machine could be compared to the human heart. Commenting on the partnership between Narayana Hrudayalaya and Teleradiology Solutions, Mr Nair said Indians have made huge advances in every field and now advise and interpret the data of patients in the U.S. and Europe.

Devi Prasad Shetty, Chairman of Narayana Hrudayalaya also spoke on the occasion and said that the scans were expensive. "The high-tech scanner will help detect and prevent heart attacks. Each scan costs about Rs. 8,000. The cost will come down if more scans are done. Narayana Hrudayalaya is ready to invest heavily in equipment that will help detect heart disease without any invasive procedures," he said.

Dr. Shetty said ISRO had extended its support to most ventures in the hospital, especially in the field of telemedicine. "The telecardiology network is the largest in the world," he said. Arjun Kalyanpur, chief executive officer of Teleradiology Solutions added that the new machine could do complete scans in just five seconds.

"It is a high resolution, high speed scanner. It is capable of giving accurate images of even the smallest coronary arteries," he said.