Covidien officially opens first training and education center in Mumbai, India

Further developing its capabilities in a key emerging market, Covidien (NYSE:COV) has officially opened its first training and education center in India. The Covidien Center of Innovation India (CCI India), located in Mumbai, offers clinicians training on advanced procedures and techniques using leading equipment and technology.

"This center is designed to enhance physician capabilities in a way that meets the unique needs of the local market, ultimately giving patients in India greater access to advanced procedures and care," said Brian D. King, President, Emerging Markets, Covidien. "Expanding our training and education capabilities worldwide is a key component of Covidien's global growth strategy and this new center in Mumbai will play an integral role as we continue to focus on important emerging geographies."

CCI India will focus on raising awareness of various disease states and providing opportunities for clinicians to see how Covidien's devices can help healthcare professionals treat these diseases. The top three priorities will be procedures to address vascular disease, metabolic disorders (obesity and Type II diabetes) and cancer.

Mark Rooney, Managing Director, India Subcontinent, Covidien, said, "Chronic diseases contribute to over half of Indian deaths. Cardiovascular disease, dyslipidemia and many types of cancers are highly prevalent in urban and rural areas alike. Many of these diseases, although common, are inadequately diagnosed and treated. At CCI India, we will focus on innovative procedures and disease management that address many of India's most challenging disease states."

The CCI India is Covidien's third training center in an emerging market, with other centers located in Shanghai, China, and Osong, South Korea. The company plans to open additional centers this year in Istanbul, Turkey, and São Paulo, Brazil.

Integrating a wide range of industry-leading Covidien surgical devices and medical equipment, CCI India offers:

• A surgical lab with seven fully-equipped operating stations
• A simulation lab for clinical scenario training with a human patient simulator
• A library stocked with the latest medical journals and four workstations
• An auditorium with seating capacity for 60 people and an optimized multimedia system to provide an immersive and experiential training environment

Key opinion and industry leaders will train and assist physicians, as well as supervise them in their individual procedures in a hospital setting after their training at CCI India. The center will have the capacity to train more than 5,000 healthcare professionals annually, both those from within India and those travelling from the surrounding region.

According to Hon. Dr. Pravin H. Shingare, Director, Directorate of Medical Education and Research, Government of Maharashtra, "The Department of Medical Education, Government of Maharashtra is committed to high quality medical education that improves medical services for the general public. We welcome the opening of the CCI India in Maharashtra and congratulate Covidien on its endeavor to supplement the infrastructure for medical training of professionals in the state."

SOURCE Covidien