Digitization of X-ray wards in Serbia - Visaris develops advanced medical appliances

eKapija web portal will again this year present Aurea awards to the best investors in 2010 in late March. As the new cycle is nearing, we have visited the companies whose projects were shortlisted for last year`s awards to see how far they have gone with the development of their businesses.

Development of advanced technology in Serbia is not a waste of time. That is proved by the company Visaris, the manufacturer of medical equipment and software for X-ray wards and laboratories. The multi-year development project - digital X-ray machine Vision C, has already been installed in three hospitals and a contract on its installation has also been signed with few other institutions in Serbia. The company has opened a branch office in Bulgaria, plans for conquering the region should be fulfilled this year, and it is most likely that X-ray machines made in Zemun will be used in the treatment of patients in Russia and Libya.

Milan Ratkovic, the Quality Director at Visaris, which won the Aurea award last year, says in a statement for eKapija that the X-ray machine Vision C has been installed in Niska Banja spa resort, Sveti Sava hospital in Belgrade, as well as in the Clinical Hospital (KBC) Zemun. As he explains, the company has also signed contracts on delivery of another two machines, one for the orthopedic ward on Banjica and the other for the hospital in Uzice.

According to our interlocutor, health centers should also use digital technology due to long-term savings and smaller pressure on the secondary and tertiary level of health care.

- Digitization results in a greater efficiency and big savings on not only disposable materials, such as films and papers, but also time. Physicists are able to send digital shots to higher levels of health care via electronic mail. Better diagnostics at the primary level (health centers) reduces the number of patients at higher levels of health care (general and special hospitals), which leads to long-term savings and a smaller pressure on specialist medical institutions. The situation with X-ray machines at health centers in Serbia is quite unenviable because some of these machines are up to 40 years old.

If there was a digital X-ray machine at, for example, the health center in Brus, a patient would not have to take X-ray shots to Krusevac or Belgrade to get a diagnosis. Instead, shots can be sent via electronic mail to a specialist who can recognize the disease and give appropriate treatment proposals the same day.

Visaris will soon install equipment in a new digital X-ray ward in a health center in Belgrade.

- Digital X-ray ward is a technological solution aimed at complete informatization and modernization of the work and transfer from papers and films to electronic operations and digital shots. Digitization covers the whole process from registration of a patient to an image on the screen. The entire work process is conducted with the use of computer and momentary communication, without papers, forms, films, and waiting.

As Ratkovic says, there is a plenty of work in Serbia, but their aim is to conquer the markets of the region and Russia as well.

- We have opened a branch office in Bulgaria and expect to start installing medical appliances in that country in the first quarter of this year. We have a good partner in Hungary where we plan to position in the market, and we expect to enter the markets of the Republic of Srpska and Macedonia soon. The price/quality ratio is the reason why I am sure that we will also be doing well in Slovenia and countries of the region. We are currently negotiating on export of our products to Russia and Libya.

Young development team

Visaris' team of engineers is diligently working on development of new products. Out of 35 employees, 20 are working on implementation of three research and two development projects.

- We are developing new screening techniques and plan to perform a clinical evaluation this year, that is, to check the results achieved in clinical conditions. Besides, we are also working on "industrialization" of Vision C to make the production more efficient. Another development project will be finished in May when a machine similar to Vision C will be launched.

Visaris will move to a new plant at Novosadski Put in late March. The company will be producing digital X-ray and fluoroscopy systems, diagnostic work stations, laboratory and radiology software on an area spanning 2,000 square meters.

This will create new jobs and the number of employees will grow by minimum 15%. The Belgrade-based company currently has about 200 workers engaged in the production of machines.

When asked how the market in Serbia accepted the advanced technology made in Serbia, Ratkovic said:

- There were certain doubts at first, but they quickly disappear with the beginning of efficient use of our products. We now have a developed platform and we constantly work on improving the performances in association with our users.

M.K.