‘Research has always been the prime focus for Canon’
Expressing their special commitment to the Indian market, Yoshihiko Komei, Group Manager, South Asia & India Group, International Sales Division, Canon Medical systems speaks to Raelene Kambli on their plans for Indian radiologists
How important is the Indian radiology market for Canon?
India is a growing market and has a lot of potential to grow even bigger. For us, India is one ofour primary focus as we are currently designing and developing technologies and equipment that will be beneficial to Indian healthcare providers. We have spent a lot of time understanding the requirements of this market. Access, cost and quality become the key aspects to which the India market will thrive. Based on these three parameters, we have designed our products for India.
What are the technical aspects that your products are catering to for the Indian market?
Our products are focussed on improved image quality, decreased image noise reduction and lowered radiation dose. Most of our products are now AI-enabled to help assist radiologists in improving their workflow efficiencies and productivity. They will also help them to improve the number of scans per day. For example, our newly launched Aquilion Start CT that is made India-specific enhances patient care which increases the number of scans per day as it reduces turn around time and has a reasonable cost difference. We are looking at enriching patient and provider experiences without compromising on quality.
Tell us how Canon is investing in research.
Research has always been the prime focus for Canon while we develop our equipment and technologies. We have had several research projects in the US, the UK and China. In these countries, we have collaborated with major research institutes from the respected country and have developed technologies according to patients and provider needs. For India, we have done a lot of research on the market requirements and that’s how we have understood the market requirements. In the cardiology domain, we have conducted workshops by bringing international experts to the Indian hospitals where Indian doctors can learn from the international experts and in return can share clinical insights with international experts. In future, we wish to collaborate with Indian radiologists and create avenues for knowledge exchange.
Which new products were launched at IRIA 2020?
We have launched the Apollo I 800 ultrasound and Aquilion Start CT which is specifically designed for India.