Domestic technical textiles Industry Segment-wise consumption of ...

In India, the majority of hospitals use cotton reusable surgical wear which needs to be sterilised after
every use. The peril of re-usage is cross contamination which should be avoided. The disposable
medical items are gradually replacing the reusable cotton cloth based surgical gear. With growth in
the multi-specialty hospitals, medical tourism and improvement in general hygiene level at the
hospitals, the demand for medical disposables is experiencing positive growth. However, the price
sensitive nature of the hospital purchase managers has resulted in the low penetration of surgical
disposables.
Product characteristics
The functional characteristics of surgical disposables are:
1. High barrier to blood or body fluids
2. Lower lint than linen (lint is a source of infection)
3. Proven sterilisation performance
4. Comfort and breathability
5. Good bacteria filtration efficiency
6. Breathing resistance
7. Splash resistance
The surgical disposable masks and caps are made from polypropylene (PP) spunbond fabric, spunlace
fabric and Spunbond melt blown fabric and spunlace fabric (SMS) fabric. The weight of the fabric
for caps is typically in the range of 12-25 GSM and for masks it is in the range of 25-40 GSM. The
disposable drapes, gowns and covers are made of polypropylene (PP) spunbond fabric and Spunbond
melt blown fabric and spunlace fabric (SMS). The weight of the fabric is typically 25-40 GSM for
spunbond fabric for gowns and around 35-50 GSM for SMS fabric for drapes and covers.
These products are manufactured in sterilised environment and packed in PP bags and dispenser
boxes sterilised before despatch.
Market dynamics and key growth drivers
The growth of medical textile products is tied with the growth of the healthcare industry in India. The
healthcare consumption in India is expected to grow to $195 billion from current $25 billion (Source:
Moneycontrol, Mckinsey 2007 – The Bird of Gold-The rise of India’s consumer market). The rural
India is expected to follow the increasing healthcare spend trend of urban India. The demand for
disposables is expected to increase with the emergence of new tertiary care hospitals with
international accreditations and improvement of service levels off the existing hospitals. In addition,