India is blessed with one of the most resilient health infrastructures in the world and is capable of handling any health challenge, said Krista Donaldson, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Equalize Health, a US headquartered global team of designers, engineers, medical professionals, and business minds, working in India, Kenya and America.
Equalize Health says, “We believe in a world where we all have access to world-class medical treatment, no matter where we live. Millions of people suffer and die from preventable or treatable conditions. Equalize Health is a not-for-profit medical technology company on a mission to change that.”
As CEO of Equalize Health (formerly D-Rev), Krista Donaldson leads the design and scaling of disruptive medical devices to address global health inequities.
Talking to The Statesman, she said India has the potential to become the world’s manufacturing hub for medical devices.
“India is a huge country and one of the most populous nations of the world. It has done a remarkable job in addressing people’s health concerns over the years by making multiple enabling interventions. Its fight against Covid-19 was mind boggling. We are keen to be an active partner in providing the best of technology driven medical services in India,” Donaldson added.
She said Equalize Health has been manufacturing in India, and Government of India’s enabling policies are encouraging – the country is poised to emerge as a hub for manufacturing medical devices which can be supplied to the rest of the world.
Admitting the fact that India has made rapid strides in healthcare with overall maternal mortality ratio improving to 103 in 2017-19 from 113 in 2016-18, she said: “Maternal health remains a global issue and a serious challenge in the populous and poor countries where infant mortality rates are also on a higher side. However, India has fared exceedingly well so far as maternal and infant healthcare is concerned. Affordable, ethical and quality healthcare is fast gaining momentum in India.”
Donaldson said India is an important focus country for Equalize Health, which has facilitated the treatment of over 1.4 million young patients and children in 79 countries by one of its products. “We are committed to addressing global health inequities, with special focus on remote geographies. Our journey in India so far has been quite good.
Our tele mentoring initiative is doing quite well in Chhattisgarh. We are looking to expand our manufacturing footprint in India and are actively seeking collaboration opportunities with local companies.”
Asked about the response from the stakeholders, she said: “It is quite encouraging. We wish to make the use of medical technology more comprehensive and wide in India. As I said earlier, Equalize Health believes in a world where we all have access to world-class medical treatment, no matter where we live.
Currently, we are focused on designing affordable, world-class medical technology that closes the biggest health equity gaps for mothers and newborns living in the world’s toughest situations.”