Intel, which unveiled its “Sensing Platform”, with an eye on the $7-trillion Indian healthcare market, is planning to launch these solutions in other emerging markets with the help of Indian manufacturers.

The world’s largest chip maker has partnered with BPL Health Technologies to manufacture this device and market it. Further, Intel will provide the Intellectual Property (IP) and ensure that the patient data is securely managed in the backend.

The device is used to monitor blood glucose levels, daily activity and recording of electrical activity of the heart. The “Sensing Platform” in the device will relay the information back to doctors or hospitals, which, according to Intel officials can help in diagnosing health ailments in advance as well as provide real time data to doctors to help them manage their patients better.

Industry watchers opine that Intel’s move which has come a little late is still a positive, especially when the government is talking about ‘Digital India’.

“India has the opportunity to leapfrog the West, is in a position to not make their mistakes and we see all this as a market opportunity,” Kumud Srinivasan, President, Intel India, told BusinessLine at the CeBIT India conference.

This device will be taken to other emerging markets, a strategy which is similar to companies such as GE, which has taken some of its healthcare products to parts of East Asia.

While Intel has started this initiative, some analysts are not convinced that the company will be able to create an architecture that will be similar to the one they created for PCs in the 1990s.

“The question is whether these devices can talk to other devices and more importantly can data be used in different platforms,” said Sanchit Vir Gogia, Analyst, Greyhound Research.

The potential for the device in India is a no-brainer as the country spends a mere 4 per cent of its GDP on healthcare, one of the 0lowest when compared to developed markets and also has one doctor for 1,700 people.

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