Growing Scenario in Healthcare Textile
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Date
2011
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Abstract
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention o f disease, illness, injury,
and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by
practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health
and other care providers. Healthcare sector is one o f largest sectors in India, in
terms o f revenue and employment. During the 1990s, Indian healthcare grew at a
compound annual rate o f 16%. Today the total value o f this sector is more than $34
billion. This translates to $34 per capita or roughly 6% o f GDP. By 2012, India’s
healthcare sector is projected to grow to nearly $40 billion. The private sector
accounts for more than 80% o f total healthcare spending in India.
Health care textile is one o f the fastest growing segments of the world. Very
distinctive feature o f health care textiles is that, it can make value addition as to ever
application and end users. At the .same time, it is a diverse and dynamic one, having
wide range of materials, processes, products and application. The last decade has
witnessed a rapid increase o f interest in new sensing and monitoring devices
including wearable wireless devices and sensor netvi'orks for several personal
applications especially in healthcare, well being, lifestyle, protection and safety.
Smart Wearable Systems (SWS) are sensor-based integrated systems on body-worn
platforms offering pervasive personalized solutions for continuous, non-invasive
monitoring o f body and external parameters, including feedback to the user. Today
they are available either in the reach and development prototype (the majority) or
commercial products. Furthermore, new developments emerging from the
miniaturization o f electronics and materials processing have being leading to the
integration o f multiple smart functions into textiles without being a burden.This paper presents and discusses the main issues involved in the development o f the
health care textiles, user requirements, technologies, research and development of
integrated systems as well as future challenges to be met in order to reach a market
with reliable and high value-added products.