COVID 19 – Digital innovations, and new smart ways of delivering healthcare

The 26th edition of three-day Medical Fair India (MFI) 2020, concluded on March 7, 2020, at Bombay Convention and Exhibition Centre in Mumbai. The event witnessed participation from 279 exhibitors, with 47 being from the overseas. It is organized by Messe Düsseldorf India in cooperation with MEDICAlliance. The pandemic of coronavirus bringing about a global unrest was discussed in detail at the inauguration function and other conference programs.

The speakers, delegates, and medical professionals deliberated on how India is being perceived as a potential source of supply chain. It is being held in the backdrop when Indian healthcare industry has witnessed a remarkable growth over the last two decades. The foreign investments have made the medical devices market a fast-moving sector contributing to the GDP. The Indian healthcare sector is diversifying, and opportunities are emerging in every segment. Together with MEDICAlliance and in association with Association of Healthcare Providers, India (AHPI), Association of Indian Manufacturers of Medical Devices (AIMED), Association of Diagnostic Manufacturers of India (ADMI), Quality & Accreditation Institute (QAI), Practicing Pathologists Society, and The Association of Practicing Pathologists (APP), this edition brought together all the stakeholders from all facets of medical and healthcare industry.

As a networking platform, the trade fair offers foreign companies, good opportunities for entering the Indian healthcare market that has posted remarkable growth rates over the past two decades. Make in India pavilion set up by AIMED has always been a center of attraction at the MFI exhibition.
In addition to the exhibition, Clin Lab India hosted its fourth conference to promote the recent developments and market trends in the IVD sector. The Future for Health (FTR4H) conference, with its fourth edition this year, focused on how digital transformation is reconstructing healthcare. Nasscom – Center of Excellence – IoT and AI joined this year as its digital transformation partner and jointly with FTR4H organized the Startup Awards. This year, a dedicated platform was included to encourage participation from startups for showcasing their solutions and innovations in the healthcare domain.

Other highlights in the line-up of side events at the MFI included the 5th International Health Conference of Voice of Healthcare (VOH) with the theme for this year as Synergy, Idea, Collaboration: Unlocking the Potential of Indian Healthcare. The overarching objective was to mobilize key stakeholders from both public and private sectors – along with their strengths and innovations – on a networking platform.

Rehaindia, powered by Rehacare, continued to feature alongside the MFI. This segment was dedicated to the rehabilitation sector in India. The three-day event attracted stakeholders in this segment.

Smart hospitals, a paltform introduced this year helped the small and mid-sized hospital owners to rethink their business models and create new opportunities by evolving novel smart ways of delivering healthcare. The intent was to bridge an existing gap as medical conferences hardly ever touch the business side of healthcare.