§1What this business is
Mild steel pipe frames are cut, bent and welded, topped with stainless steel sheet and fitted with wheel sets. The report plans 5 stretchers a day. Buyers are hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, ambulance services and medical-equipment dealers, often through tenders.
Capacity: 5 stretchers a day, 1,500 a year; 60% in year 1 rising to 80% in year 5.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
A fabricator who can register with hospital buyers and tender portals such as GeM.
Who it is not for
Someone without fabrication skills or patience for tenders.
Advantages
- Every hospital and clinic needs stretchers
- Simple fabrication work
- Government hospital tenders give bulk orders
- Can add trolleys and beds later
Drawbacks
- Thin margin in year 1
- Tender buying means price pressure and slow payment
- Raw material is ₹2,700.80 of the ₹5,000 price in year 1
- Specialty stretchers need better design and tooling
Skills you need
- Pipe bending and welding
- Stainless sheet work
- Tender filing
- Quality finish for hospital use
Why difficulty 2/5: Straightforward fabrication; selling through tenders is the main effort.
§3Market
Who buys
- Government and private hospitals
- Nursing homes and clinics
- Ambulance services
How it sells
- Government tenders and GeM
- Medical-equipment dealers
- Direct sales to hospitals
Good to know
- The report says general stretchers are the largest segment and specialty stretchers cost about twice as much.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Plant and machinery (the report gives only the total) | 1 lot | ₹8.66 lakh |
From: PMEGP sample project report — Stretchers (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
- MS pipe18,200 kg a year at ₹66 a kg at full capacity
- Stainless steel sheet15,000 kg a year at ₹180 a kg
- Wheel sets (4 wheels each)1,500 sets at ₹100
- Raw material per stretcher₹2,700.80 in year 1
From: PMEGP sample project report — Stretchers (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam
- GST
- GeM seller registration for government buyers
- Check with the State Drugs Controller whether Medical Devices Rules registration applies to your stretcher type
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- MudraCentralActiveLoan up to ₹20 lakh, no collateral
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
- Stand-Up IndiaCentralClosed₹10 lakh – ₹1 crore loan
PMEGP (the report was made for it), MUDRA up to ₹20 L, CGTMSE for a collateral-free loan, Stand-Up India for SC/ST or women founders.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: PMEGP sample report: plant & machinery ₹8.66 L, furniture ₹1.34 L, working capital ₹4.44 L = ₹14.44 L. Shed 2,000 sq ft own or rented.
Working capital: Working capital ₹4.44 L (bank ₹4.00 L): 20 days of raw material and 10 days of finished stock.
Year not printed on the report — check current machinery prices.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
- Confirm the 8-digit ITC(HS) line with DGFT or your customs broker.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Steel price rise
- Delayed tender payments
- Rejection on finish or strength
- Competition from larger hospital-furniture makers
§1030 / 60 / 90-day plan
A general plan that applies to any business. A plan for this business will be added after research.
- Days 1–30: Visit a working hospital stretcher manufacturing unit unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
- Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (Udyam, GST), a project report (DPR), and the scheme or loan file.
- Days 61–90: Space and machines, trial production, and first deliveries to 10 customers.
§11Who to connect with
Associations, clusters and training institutes — the directory is being built. Connect
§12Watch
There is no episode on this business yet. Shows are coming soon on the Podcast page.
Want to start Hospital Stretcher Manufacturing Unit?
DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.
¶Sources
Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.