Why ‘98% of oximeters in Indian market are Made-in-China’ but buyers don’t care
India has been reporting over 3 lakh Covid cases daily over past few days, leading to massive demand for items like pulse oximeters.
theprint.in
New Delhi: Pulse oximeters, the bite-sized devices that help monitor your oxygen levels, have emerged as key tools in the Covid pandemic by guiding patients on when they need medical attention (a
reading of 94-98 is usually considered normal).
In India, Chinese imports dominate the pulse oximeter market, with an estimated 98 per cent coming in from across the border. While the Ladakh stand-off between India and China stoked a sentiment of protest against Chinese goods last year, chemists say they have experienced no such concern with oximeters.
The surge in Covid cases has seen oximeters fly off the shelves, resulting in shortages in several cities, and people are glad to purchase whichever brand comes their way, chemists add.
The price for oximeters in India ranges between Rs 2,000 and 3,000, with the Chinese brands a tad cheaper than the ones manufactured in India. ‘Made in China’ oximeter brands that are available in stores — online and offline — include Unaan, HealthSense, Smart Saver, iSpares, Yobekan, Dr Vaku, ChoiceMMed, HealnHealthy, LANDWIND, T Topline and Lionix, according to industry representatives.
Other brands available in the country include BPL, a prominent Indian name, besides the German Breur and the US’ Dr Trust.
Although a major player in the pharma sector, India is
heavily dependent on imports as far as medical devices are concerned.
Individual import figures for oximeters weren’t available on the Union Ministry of Commerce website but government data shows Chinese goods dominate India’s medical equipment purchases from abroad.
In the first 10 months of 2020-21, until January, India imported medical equipment worth $269 million from China. This translates to nearly a quarter of India’s total medical equipment imports for the period.
Industry insiders in the pulse oximeter market cite unavailability of raw materials as the prime issue why their manufacturing has not taken off in India just yet. Importing them is just cheaper, they say.
ThePrint reached the spokesperson of the department of pharmaceuticals by email and WhatsApp for a comment on this report, but there was no response by the time of publishing.