A surgical mask, also referred to as a procedure mask, medical mask or just as a face mask, is meant to be worn by health professionals during surgery and through nursing to catch the bacteria shed in liquid droplets and aerosols from the wearer's mouth and nose. They not designed to guard the wearer from inhaling airborne bacteria or virus particles and are less effective than respirators, like N95 or FFP masks, which give better protection because of their material, shape and tight seal.
Surgical masks are designed to keep operating rooms sterile, preventing germs from the mouth and nose of a wearer from contaminating a patient during surgery. Although they have seen a rise in popularity among consumers during outbreaks such as the corona virus, surgical masks are not designed to filter out viruses, which are smaller than germs. The India surgical mask market accounted for $58 million in 2017, and is projected to reach $95 million by 2025, registering a CAGR of 6.1% from 2018 to 2025.
Surgical masks are made from natural Fibre, like cotton or disposable linen or synthetic materials, like polypropylene. They’re manufactured from different layers including a hydrophobic outer layer, a middle filtering layer, and an inner hydrophilic layer to soak up the fluid and moisture. They used as a barrier to avoid cross contamination by microorganisms and are used during surgical procedures. The surgical mask is used by surgeons during procedures and other medical professionals while interacting with the patients to avoid cross contamination of microorganisms.
The India surgical mask market is driven by various factors, such as increase in elderly population, increase in adoption of surgical mask in the general population, and surge in prevalence of contagious and chronic diseases such as tuberculosis and asthma. Furthermore, rise in the number of medical device manufacturing companies is also anticipated to supplement the growth of the surgical masks industry. Entrepreneurs who invest in this project will be successful.
Few Indian major players are as under
3M India Ltd.
Good Health Insurance T P A Ltd.
Kimberly-Clark India Pvt. Ltd.
Mediklin Healthcare Ltd.
Surgeine Healthcare (India) Pvt. Ltd.
