Surgical precision, on a budget: Bengaluru start-up strives to make image-guided surgeries accessible to smaller cities and towns Premium

In India, the difference between the health infrastructure in metros and smaller towns is stark, and it is not uncommon for people to travel to big cities for complex surgical procedures and better medical treatments. 

In India, the difference between the health infrastructure in metros and smaller towns is stark, and it is not uncommon for people to travel to big cities for complex surgical procedures and better medical treatments. 

Image-guided surgeries (IGS) used for accessing deep tumours is one such procedure rarely performed in hospitals in smaller towns, one of the main reasons being the high equipment cost that varies from ₹1.5 to 3 crore making it unaffordable for smaller hospitals. 

But what if the technology could be tweaked to make it more affordable and thereby accessible to the larger Indian market? 

This was the thought that prompted Arpit Paliwal to start HRS Navigation, a Bengaluru-based health-tech start-up that attempts to bridge the gap by coming up with a surgery navigation equipment designed for Indian circumstances, particularly considering hospitals in smaller towns and rural areas. 

Founded in 2015, the start-up offers computer-assisted surgery solutions for image-guided surgeries at rates that are around 50% lesser than existing market rates. It claims to be the first domestic manufacturer of navigation systems for procedures such as neuro, ENT and spine surgeries. 

During his stint at Stryker, a global med-tech company, Paliwal noticed that most med-tech companies are focused on the Western Market and not doing much to suit their product for the Indian market. While Europe is the pioneer in the IGS technology, Paliwal felt there was a big need for such technologies in India too.  

“During my tenure at Stryker, I have been to tier-2 and tier-3 cities in India. The infrastructure there is very different and healthcare facilities are not up to the mark. But more than 75% of the Indian population lives in these smaller towns. Many of them can’t afford to go to big hospitals and get these expensive surgeries done. I myself have seen people telling their doctors that they’d need to sell their houses to get a surgery done,” says Paliwal.