Irish Medtech call for new government to introduce national healthtech strategy

Irish Medtech, the Ibec group that represents the sector, called for the new government to introduce national healthtech strategy ahead of the national election announced yesterday.

Irish Medtech Director Eoghan Ó Faoláin said, “Ireland is one of the top five global medtech hubs, competing with the likes of Massachusetts, Minnesota and California in the USA. Our success is over a century in the making, with the sector now spanning 450 companies, including 9 of the world’s top 10 medtech companies with exports of €16 billion. Moreover, Ireland is the greatest employer of medtech professionals, per capita, in Europe with more than 48,000 people working in the sector and growth forecast to reach 56,000 by 2028 as the sector continues to grow here. But we cannot be complacent or risk losing hard-won gains as other economies are trying to attract medtech investments and jobs.”

He added, “General elections provide an important opportunity for reflection and pivot to ensure that challenges are tackled, and opportunities seized. That is why Irish Medtech has developed its ‘Priorities for Government’ with its board and members to set out our recommendations in the face of business, technological, demographic, and political change, to ensure that Ireland’s global medtech hub thrives. Irish Medtech believes that with the right supports, and policies in place, Ireland can shape the future of healthcare and take a greater share of the global market. But first we’re calling for those who form the next government to introduce a national health technology strategy similar to those successfully operating in competitor economies like France and the UK to support a fully coordinated approach where key stakeholders, including industry and patients, co-create Ireland’s response to these changes.”

The group’s recommendations fall under four pillars:

Pillar 1: Health and patient access

• Prioritise reform of the EU medical device and in vitro diagnostic regulatory system
• Implement the EU European Health Data Space
• Expand Ireland’s clinical research landscape

Pillar 2: Enterprise and innovation

• Create a national health technology and life sciences strategy
• Embrace new technologies with advanced manufacturing
• Nurture entrepreneurship and support disruptive innovation

Pillar 3: Education and skills

• Safeguard the sustainability of the new apprenticeship programmes
• Support lifelong learning for a worldclass knowledge economy
• Establish Ireland as a leader for gender leadership in manufacturing

Pillar 4: Sustainability and environment

• Ensure a just transition throughout regulatory changes and reporting requirements
• Foster a patient centric circular economy
• Support sustainable practices and innovations
• Evolve Ireland’s manufacturing and infrastructure support

For further information visit www.ibec.ie/medtech_priorities