This document discusses opportunities and challenges for the medical textiles industry in India. It outlines key areas of medical textiles including barrier materials, bandages, wound care, hygiene materials, and implantable materials. Technological advancements are enabling new antibacterial, fire retardant, and nonwoven fabrics. While India has opportunities in the growing healthcare sector, it also faces challenges from competition and needs to develop standards and export incentives to better position its industry. Government support is needed to develop standards, educate on new technologies, and provide export benefits to boost the medical textiles sector in India.

1. MEDICAL TEXTILES
OPPORTUNITIES AND
CHALLENGES AHEAD FOR
INDIAN MANUFACTURERS
Presentation By:
RAHUL BANSAL
A.G.M. - MARKETING
GINNI NONWOVENS
(A Unit of Ginni Filaments Ltd.)
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2. Overview
 Medical textiles
 Healthcare & Hygiene
 Technological Advancements
 Opportunities & Challenges
 Govt. policy support required
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3. Medical Textiles
 Medical textiles is an emerging sector of technical
textiles industry and its growth is fuelled due to
constant improvements in healthcare as well as
innovations in the textile field.
 The use of textile materials for medical and
healthcare products can be classified into following
main areas –
- Barrier material (for infection control)
- Bandaging & pressure garment
- Wound care material
- Hygiene material
- Implantable material (sutures, art. Joints etc)
- Extra Corporal devices (like art. Kidney etc)
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4. Medical Textiles
 Requirements of textile material for
medical applications
 Biocompatible
 Good resistance to alkalis, acids and
micro-organisms
 Good dimensional stability
 Elasticity
 Free from contamination or impurities
 Absorption / Repellency
 Air permeability.
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5. Healthcare & Hygiene
• Includes products like –
• Surgical / wound dressings
• Gowns / drapes
• Diapers / femcare pads / adult incontinence
diapers
• Bedsheets / curtains / Towels / Mitts / Wipes
• Largest segment of Medical Textiles
• One of the fastest growing segment in Textiles

6. Healthcare & Hygiene
• In India, traditionally this segment is dominated
by Woven Textiles
• Lately, new technology Nonwoven products
have provided innovative product options
• Reasons for growth of this segment –
• Growing awareness among society for
hygiene and safety
• Frequent interactions of medical
professionals with international medical
societies
• Availability of new technologically advanced
products
• Medical tourism

7. Technological Advancements
• Fabrics with anti-microbial properties
• Fire retardant fabrics
• Nonwoven fabrics – They are engineered fabrics
from sheet of fibres, with desired properties
(performance characteristics) to suite specific
applications; such as –
• Very high fluid repellency or absorbency
• Extremely low linting
• Fast wicking of liquids
• Anti-static
Nonwoven fabrics are providing customized
solutions in cost effective manner, and are thus
taking important place in meditech worldwide

8. Advancements in product standards
• With the growing awareness, the world is going
for stringent product quality standards.
• There is a need to align Indian standards with
these global developments, like –
• Barrier efficiency of gowns / drapes
• Chemical & Micro-biological testing for
dressings
• There is need to adopt standards for newly
developed products, like –
• Disposable gowns
• Nonwoven dressings
• Face masks

9. Opportunities & Challenges ahead
Opportunities –
 Consumption is increasing rapidly
 Pvt. Hospital chains are growing
 Doctor/patient awareness for hygiene is increasing
 Medical tourism
Challenges –
 China has become very strong in most of Healthcare
& hygiene products
 There are very few BIS standards in place leading to
substandard quality products being used
 Export benefits like DD/DEPB not notified for many
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10. Govt. Policy Support Required
⇒ Fast development of BIS standards in lieu with
the International standards. Lot of new product
standards to be added
⇒ Amendment of Drugs & Cosmetics Act to
accommodate new technologies such as
nonwoven products
⇒ To promote new technology products, Govt.
hospitals to be advised on the advantages of
these products and their BIS standards
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11. Govt. Policy Support Required
⇒ There is immense potential for exports of medical
textile products from India. However, no DEPB / DD
rates are declared for most of the products, to cover
the local duties paid. Some examples are -
EXCISE PRODUCTS EXCISE DEPB DUTY
TARIFF DUTY DRAWBACK
3005 ADESIVE 10 % NIL 1%
1020 DRESSINGS
/ TAPES
3005 BANDAGES 10% NIL 1%
9040
3307 WET WIPES / 10% NIL 5%
1090 PATIENT
MITTS
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12. THANK YOU
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