Introduction of the Association
All members of the association declare high quality of their products and services. You too can join the elite in the field of healthcare. With our support your company will have more business opportunities. Its membership to the association signifies a clear declaration of professional services and products.
A production of medical devices has a long tradition in the Czech Republic. Since 20th of the 20th century surgical instruments, x-rays, and other orthopaedic and rehabilitation devices have been manufactured in our country.
A qualitative development started in 50th of the last century with electronics development. A production of ECG machines, sterilizers, ventilators, anaesthetic devices, laboratory devices and other products has started. As early as in those years our industry reached outstanding successes in the world. In 1958 we were awarded a gold medal for a cardiology defibrillator at the world exhibition in Brussels. Another world success was reached with a polarograph invention for which professor Heyrovsky was awarded the Nobel Prize. Engineering and electrical products have gradually been supplemented with products from plastics. Professor Wichterle has registered an invention of hydro gel contact lenses. Industry has started to produce disposable syringes and needles.
Health care area continued its development and started to supply complicated technical systems such as central sterilizers, dental units, x-ray units, cobalt irradiator, lithotriptor etc.
In 90th of the last century a transformation of the industry into market economy conditions took place in the Czech Republic. Today, the sector of medical devices represents a wide complex of various entrepreneurial subjects comprising of production, designer, business, and distribution companies. The Czech medical devices industry meets majority of key needs of health care facilities.
Companies are able to supply products from surgical instruments, various types of hospital beds, sterilizers including central sterilisation, ventilators, anaesthetic devices, x-rays including panoramic x-rays, dental technique, ambulances, mobile hospitals, orthopaedic and rehabilitation devices, kitchen and laundry equipment, technical gases and their distribution, and other assortment. The medical devices industry in the Czech Republic is able to deliver complex supplies from a design to the equipment with technology products.
Our goal is to implement best solution from the viewpoint of technical excellence, quality and cost effectiveness. A complex program meeting individual requirements of our customers from counselling , training to servicing is guaranteed.
All our companies use quality assurance system ISO. Their products have CE mark.
The aim of the catalogue is to inform health care workers of the possible product range for equipping their workplaces. More detailed information of individual companies together with prices of products can be obtained on given contact addresses.
The prime focus is the development of the field.
In this field, we lead our firms to products innovations. Three main aspects are combined in these innovations:
- research, resulting in achievement of high technical parameters
- design, that helps to sell the product
- quality, which means reliability of products
To achieve such results our firms cooperate with many university research bodies such as those of Czech Technical University in Prague, Brno University of Technology, Tomas Bata University in Zlín, Masaryk University, etc. This cooperation leads to achievement of high value in use of our products.
To manage these innovations, we persuade our firms to join the Ministry of Industry and Trade open competitions with their research projects where assistance especially in the form of research and development co-financing can be provided.
Another way leads to the EU structural funds that can also provide support for submitted projects of individual firms. Several of our firms (e.g. LINET, PATRON Bohemia, ING corporation and others), already have experience with this type of involvement.
The development of the field and products of our firms reflect in trade figures. In approximately 10 to 15 years, the medical devices sector became an export-led sector and in average 70 per cent of its production is exported not only to EU member states, but also to other territories.
Marketing
Other field addressed by the Association is marketing. We take part in foreign fairs and exhibitions with state participation. In recent years we have taken part in Medica Düsseldorf Trade Fair and Arab Health Trade Show in Dubai. Both events were successful in terms of the export to new countries and today we have firms that export 85 per cent of their production. Firms such as LINET and their medical beds, BMT and their steam sterilizers, BORCAD and their birthing beds, UJP PRAHA and their cobalt and x-ray irradiators and others.
We have also prepared development assistance material. However, this kind of assistance is not used very often in our central departments. Particular attention is paid to development of the disaster medicine medical devices. We also organise thematic specialist conferences in this field of expertise.
Our effort devoted to marketing and trade brings results especially in the form of increased export. In the future we will direct our attention to complete industrial plant supplies.
Education
Third concern addressed by the Association is lifelong learning. We focus on legislation, quality management, electronic waste management and others. Firms themselves ensure language training, PC literacy courses and others.
Legislation and quality
The Association has been focused on legislation and quality. Our sector was one of the few that assured the application of the EU directive, successive laws and government regulations for their smooth introduction into firms’ everyday life during the accession to the EU. This was enabled by a series of seminars and conferences not only for top management, but also for professionals that bring the new laws into life. We follow the same pattern in the field of products quality but also in establishing the quality management systems in firms.
Attention paid to above mentioned areas bring results especially in the form of increased competitiveness of our products. Today many of our firms have their subsidiaries abroad through which they gradually increase their export.
High-quality medicine cannot be practiced without technical means. Physicians themselves claim that progress in medicine is possible, using for example imaging systems, microsurgery equipment and instruments, and computer technology.
We cannot be satisfied by our current success in the future. We will monitor world trends which in our sector are primarily:
- nanotechnology and microsystems for devices construction
- devices for minimization of invasive procedures
- implementation of information technologies in healthcare
- emergency medicine and disaster medicine
- and others ...