Innovations do not just change an industry. It changes many lives. Every year, millions of people around the world live with Parkinson’s disease. It is a progressive neurological disorder that affects movement, balance and coordination. It is not a one-in-a-million disease. It touches countless families often without any warning. I had a colleague whose father suffered from Parkinson’s disease. Watching a loved one slowly lose control of their body while the mind stays sharp is one of the hardest situations a family has to face.

The sad truth is that there is still no cure found for this disease but technology has given us a hope and in India, this hope just took a huge leap forward. Here’s the thing about technology, it evolves. It surprises us with hope.

A Made-in-India Solution

India has built its own Deep Brain Stimulator (DBS) a medical device which is used to treat movement disorders like Parkinson’s disease. Scientists at Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) in Kerala have developed India’s first homegrown Deep Brain Stimulator (DBS). This device treats Parkinson’s disease with precision and affordability.

Deep Brain Stimulation has been a proven medical treatment for Parkinson’s disease, but until now these devices were imported from other places and thus it carried an overwhelming price range which wasn’t affordable for most of the people and in turn making them inaccessible to many patients across India. This new version has successfully changed that issue.

Why This Matters

This is not just another medical product or treatment. It is a technological milestone for us and a symbol of India’s growing health tech capability.

• Less invasive approach: This uses a minimally invasive method and thus it significantly reduces the surgical risks and also takes very less recovery time. Safer procedures with quicker recoveries and less disruption to everyday life is one of the highlights of it.
• Affordable access to it: Even those prepared to fight this disease emotionally and physically are often forced to surrender before cost. High cost has always been a barrier to treatment, not just in the case of Parkinson’s disease. This has been a barrier to any other treatment. This new homegrown version of DBS has drastically brought down expenses, thereby ensuring more patients can get benefit from this life-changing treatment.
• Built for India and ready for the world: It has been developed entirely by Indian scientists and engineers, which makes the DBS an important step in our healthcare innovation. It is built to meet all the international standards of healthcare treatments and it has the potential to compete globally.

Beyond one health tech device

What is even more exciting is that this is just the beginning. The SCTIMST team is not just stopping at deep brain stimulation. They are actively developing a diverse number of medical technologies which are designed to make healthcare more accessible, affordable and effective for millions across India and also globally. This vision of building an entire ecosystem of health tech solutions is reshaping the future of patient care in many ways.

One of the prime focuses is advanced wound care system that address a major healthcare challenge, that is to make an effective and affordable wound management. Wounds especially those chronic and traumatic ones can lead to prolonged suffering and infections if they are not treated properly.

In addition to wound care, the research teams at SCTIMST are also working on stress analysis tools, which is another crucial area as there is a rising global burden of stress related disorders. They are trying to bring out non-invasive measures to measure physiological and psychological stress. Stress, if they are unmanaged, it can worsen to chronic diseases and can cause problems in immunity. It will finally degrade the quality of our life. By developing the accessible diagnostic tools, SCTIMST aims to bring forward the mental health considerations into routine healthcare and reflect a holistic approach to overall patient well-being.

They are building an entire ecosystem of healthcare innovation.

More Than just a health tech

Inaccessible healthcare technology is a tragedy in itself.

Families often have to watch their loved one’s struggle feeling powerless and helpless. This homegrown DBS is not merely a health tech device. It gives patients a hope and a chance for them to reclaim independence and for doctors to deliver results without compromise. It is also a reminder that healthcare innovation, when done and delivered thoughtfully, they do not just chase profits but it solves several problems that actually matter. It takes years of dedication, research and collaboration to complete developing a product but when it arrives, it changes lives of thousands of people.

India’s journey in medical technology has been growing over time. With innovations like this, we are not just catching up with the other innovations. We are actually leading. And with every health tech milestone, we are trying to reduce helplessness of many patients who has to walk with fear to the hospital rooms.

As India continues to invest in home grown medical research, the major breakthroughs like these remind us that the future of healthcare is not only global but it can be local too.

What’s the most impressive health tech breakthrough you have seen recently?