Zigma: Refurbishing Success

Zigma Meditech is offering pre-owned medical equipment at affordable costs without compromising on the quality

Indian healthcare is largely dependent on western countries for medical equipment. The increasing price of these equipment keeps them beyond the reach of small scale hospitals and dispensaries. An alternative for these centres is to opt for pre-owned medical equipment. In fact, re-sale of medical equipment is an emerging market. Chennai based Zigma Meditech India Private Limited has been dealing with refurbished medical equipment for the past five years and has grown consistently with a growth rate of 40 per cent.

The Trade

Zigma imports used medical equipment from countries like the US, Japan and European countries. These equipment are thoroughly checked by their bio-medical engineers and all faults are rectified. The damaged parts are replaced. The equipment are then painted to give a new look. The equipment is duly tested to check its performance. The refurbished equipment is sold out at a price that is nearly half the price of original equipment. "We trade with equipment that are in working condition. We keep our buyers informed on the age and condition of the equipment. Our engineers ensure that the equipment delivers the same output as a new one," says Rajagopal Geethu, Director.

"Initially, some hospitals were hesitant in taking our products," admits Geethu. "They personally checked our equipment, used it on a trial basis and then placed the order," he adds.

The Service

Zigma offers one year comprehensive warranty to all the equipment sold. It also undertakes post-warranty annual maintenance contracts. The company checks the capability of the equipment once every three months. It has sold ventilators, pulse oximeters, defibrillators and anesthesia workstations.

The Advantage

Affordability is the main reason for opting refurbished equipment. "The main technology has not seen any change in case of ventilators and defibrillators, though the interface has changed," says Geethu and adds, "The performance is as good as new one and it reflects in our sales." Zigma has a huge client base of non-corporate primary, secondary and tertiary care private hospitals across South India, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal. Zigma is the only Indian company to be certified by Dotmed.com, the portal meant for sale and purchase of new and used medical equipment.

There is no agency or body to certify used medical equipment. So the decision of buying a refurbished one is left to one's own discretion. "The business runs on trust but not completely on trust," says Geethu. "We take every step in checking and maintaining the maximum performance even during long hours of operation. We have been successful as we have not received any bad remarks in these five years."

In addition to sales, the company also rents out the equipment to home and hospitals on a daily basis within Chennai.<