Philips sees huge potential in India for sleep lab

Hyderabad, Jan 28: With more and more Indians getting affected by sleep disorder, Philips Healthcare, a major player in providing equipment for setting up sleep labs, has decided to tap the huge market potential here.

The company which has so far installed 120 sleep labs in the country, mostly in corporate hospitals, is aiming to install 120 more labs during 2011, a senior company official said.

"At present we have 120 sleep labs across the country. We want to continue increasing our diagnostic capabilities, increase the number of diagnostic centres and want to double it in 2011," Philips Healthcare, (Home Healthcare Solutions) Business Manager Satyakam Sharma told reporters here today.

The company has started identifying physicians who wish to set up sleep labs in the country, he said.

United States and Europe are the major markets for sleep labs for Philips, which acquired US-based firm Respironics in 2008, he said adding since 2010 "We are focusing on emerging markets like India in a big way."

Sharma said Philips conducted a survey in 2009 that showed 93 per cent of Indians were sleep-deprived and 11 per cent of Indians ( at some point) took leave from work because of lack of sleep. This survey clearly indicates that India has a large potential which has yet not been tapped, he said.

"We are also assisting the physicians to ensure that they are equipped enough with the domain knowledge that we have on setting up the sleep labs," Sharma said.

Philips has also been providing sleep lab equipment for clinical training to physicians and specialists for establishing these labs. "We are identifying the physicians and as a manufacturer we are ready to extend expertise on devices and information," he added.

PTI