| Dr S Manivannan |
Medicall—an event which gets top of the mind recall when it comes to naming successful events which bear a tremendous influence on the industry they represent. It is hailed as India’s premier medical equipment expo and the first real “supermarket” for hospital equipment and supplies. Thus, it has undoubtedly traced a success story, yet every story has a beginning.
The beginning
| Yogita Panchal and Sundarajan |
Twelve years back, a young man out of medical college and his friends dreamt of starting their own hospital. The dream became a reality and a 30-bed hospital was built, which later went on to become a 400-bedded hospital in South India. The ambitious young man who dreamt of establishing his own hospital and managed to do it against all odds was none other that Dr S Manivannan and his hospital is known as Kavery Medical Center and Hospital.
However, this path to this achievement was not easy and was strewn with lots of trials and travails. Dr Manivannan and his friends faced many hurdles in the course of their growth and these very hardships and challenges were the seeds from which Medicall emerged. It was born with the idea to share their expertise with the fellow medical fraternity. They realised that many of their problems were a result of limited knowledge about the medical industry and thus, thought of sharing their own experiences and learning with the young and aspiring healthcare professionals of the present day so that their paths to success would be less strenuous and more accessible.
In his own words, Dr Manivannan states, “I am the Promoter-Director of the 400-bed hospital group KMC hospital, Trichy, Tamil Nadu. I have undergone the pains of bringing up a hospital in a small Indian town where we rarely get an opportunity to know about latest developments in medical equipment industry. Big companies do not concentrate in such cities due lack of adequate sales force and feel that it is a small market. I wanted to share my experience which I gained over a period of a decade with my fellow colleagues and that prompted me to start Medicall expo.”
Medicall – the rise over the years
2006: The first Medicall exhibition was introduced as a small medical equipment expo and was hosted at Chennai. It was very well received by the industry and there were more than 100 exhibitors and 3000 visitors.
2007: Medicall 2007 was bigger and better than its first edition. There were more exhibitors and visitors at the event.
2008: The third edition of Medicall attracted 5,400 visitors from across the country. Apart from hospital owners, hospital administrators, and people from other segments like dealers, architects, hospital consultancy, nurses, and biomedical engineers, exhibitors dealing with hospital flooring, lighting, energy saving equipment, storage solutions, ambulance fabricators, etc., also participated for the first time in this show.
2009: With more than 5700 visitors attending Medicall 2009, the expo bridged the gap between the buyers and users and managed to bring them together on one single platform. In this three-day expo, more than 250 exhibitors from all over India and China displayed their latest equipment. Medicall became a pan-India event than just a regional expo in Chennai.
2010: Availability of unique products, many exhibitors for the same product, international exhibitors were the USPs of Medicall 2010. It was bigger and more incisive in terms of content and participation. International participation increased and over 400 exhibitors from China, Germany, Taiwan, England and India displayed their latest medical equipment. It grew to become India’s largest and Asia’s third largest medical equipment expo.
2011: Around 7500 visitors from India and other countries like Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Nepal, and Taiwan visited the three day show. The Healthcare Innovation Awards, instituted for first time in this edition of Medicall, attracted several applications from across the country. More than 430 exhibitors from India, Germany, China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan and Iran participated in the show and displayed A-Z requirement of hospitals.
2012: Medicall 2012 Chennai was yet another remarkable event. It had huge participation from healthcare industry experts and professionals as well as several new and innovative segments like fashion show on hospital garments and “Hospital Property Mela” was also introduced. Over 500 companies exhibited their products. Representatives from Germany, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Pakistan, Malaysia and more participated in Medical last year.
The future path
With its constant evolution and growth, it is to be expected that Medicall 2013 will continue to provide a big fillip to healthcare sector in general and the medical equipment industry in particular.