Vernacare – whose single-use human waste management system is reportedly used by 96% of NHS Trusts, and in healthcare facilities in 48 countries – has agreed a five-year supply deal with Manipal, one of Asia’s largest healthcare management groups.
The Bolton-headquartered company expects sales in India to exceed £11 million over the next three years, and is exploring creating an Indian manufacturing base. Manipal Healthcare is India’s first hospital group to introduce Vernacare’s ‘environmentally friendly’ single-use infection prevention system.
The long-term supply agreement was announced during a trade delegation to India led by UK Prime Minister, Theresa May – her first bilateral visit made outside the European Union.
The Vernacare system was first trialled at Manipal’s flagship hospital in Bangalore. Manipal Hospitals manages 4,900 beds in 15 hospitals, serving around two million customers annually from India and overseas. Vernacare reports strong interest in its infection prevention system from other leading Indian hospital groups, including Artemis Hospitals, and Fortis Healthcare, which is trialling the single-use system at its ‘flagship’ Fortis Memorial Research Institute in Gurgaon, near New Delhi.
The British company is also due to open a new service centre in Bangalore, creating engineering jobs to support installation, commissioning, and servicing of its technology. It is anticipated that service centres will be set up in every major Indian city, creating an expected initial 30 jobs.
