Haffkine, IIT-B sign MoU to produce equipment for civic hospitals

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The Haffkine Institute for Training, Research and Testing, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Biomedical Engineering and Technology Incubation Centre of IIT-Bombay, to manufacture and design indigenously modified equipment for the hospitals of Mumbai.

With the rising number of patients at civic-run hospitals, there is a need to develop modified and advanced equipment for treatment, which will not only be cost-effective, but fast.

A centre has been proposed for the purpose which will help develop such devices in association with experts from the Biomedical Engineering & Technology Incubation Centre and doctors.

"We have signed an MOU with IIT-B regarding the same to help develop innovative medical devices which will benefit patients, especially those who come from the lower economic strata," said Institute Director Dr Nishigandha Naik.

The institute will also take the advice of major hospitals like the Tata Memorial Hospital, King Edward Memorial Hospital and Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital for Children while manufacturing the devices.

The centre has also received funds of Rs 24 crore to set up a national-level antidote producing unit for snake venom. "We are also in the process of developing a state-of-the-art centre at the institute, with the help of Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), to produce snake venom antidote. There are very few players in the market to produce it so we need to focus on it," Naik added.

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