The three day conference was attended by BD staff from various Asian countries including Korea, China, Singapore, Pakistan and India. Wilcott met the Asian representatives to talk about BD processes, and how they could be improved in these countries, to bring value to the local community.

But what is special about this US-based pharma major's sterilisation process? Says Wilcott, ``The most striking feature about sterilisation in BD is that it's a continuous process. Plus, our manufacturing process-medical devices and diagnostic systems-uses the latest technology for sterilisation. Apart from that, says Wilcott, BD is always willing to work with community hospitals and nursing homes to spread awareness about faultless sterilisation.

Wilcott had travelled to India earlier also for this purpose-to meet with doctors and hospital representatives in order to help them improve healthcare products and treatment in the country.

The focus of BD, says Wilcott, is on a robust process and a continuous validation programme. In contrast, most Indian manufacturers of medical devices believe in end-product testing. But that's not enough, says Wilcott.

Even in the recent conference in Delhi, among the major concerns was the need to have in place a very strong validation programme. Wilcott adds that such a validation programme would be a big benefit to the country in which it is implemented. For lack of adequate sterilisation is often the root cause of a number of medical complications.

Talking about the problems in the area of sterilisation of devices in India, Wilcott says that product releases here are archaic in nature with local quality standards. The need of the day is to get an international standard in place, says Wilcott. In fact, BD India has a tie-up with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), but again the problem is that BIS hardly ever meets to discuss issues.

Besides the tie-up with BIS, BD India is also working with its salespeople and senior doctors to spread awareness about the significance of sterilisation of devices. Recently, it invited a group of senior doctors to its plant to show them how the BD process works.

Explaining what the BD standard is all about, Wilcott says that all equipment is sterilised to a high degree of assurance, with documented systems in evidence. She adds that any good equipment must be regularly tested, making it a continuous process.

Comparing notes, Wilcott says that countries like India, Pakistan and Korea are very different from, say, Singapore in terms of sterilisation of devices. She says that Singapore is close to the US and Europe, with a history of MNCs setting up shop there. Therefore, Singapore is meeting all the international requirements.

What then is the conclusion till now? Wilcott says that it's everybody's responsibility to make sure that good healthcare practices are implemented. As for India, the mindset must change and companies must go in for a complete validation cycle, instead of just end-product testing. And finally the crucial issue: How much does it cost to introduce such a process? The complete steriliser at the BD India plant costs Rs 20 crore.