The medical community is a complex network of scientists, medical doctors and surgeons, medical engineers and technicians, and other health care specialists. And just as complex are the medical supplies, instruments and devices associated with each specialization.
In
Australia, the health and medical industry is globally recognized. The country’s medical community is regarded
as leaders in terms of technology, innovation, skills, research and
development. It follows that Australia’s
biomedical manufacturers produce medical devices and medical supplies that are
of the highest quality which the country’s robust health system requires.
Medical
supplies and medical devices are regulated by the Therapeutic Goods
Administration under the Department of Health and Ageing. All medical supplies and devices are produced
with adherence to the Good Manufacturing Practice or GMP as required by and
specified in the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989.
GMP is a term used internationally to describe a set of principles and procedures
that help ensure that the products manufactured will have the required quality.
Also included in the Therapeutic
Goods Act is a compliance of medical supplies manufacturers to have key
employees acquire a Fit and Proper Persons Certification and that their
operations should have Conformity Assessment Certificates.
All of these measures are done to
ensure that the medical community is supplied with the medical supplies and medical devices that are
of the highest quality, environmentally safe and most effective.
The most basic medical supplies and
devices manufactured in Australia for the domestic and export market include a
wide range of products such as medical gloves, syringes, contact lenses, condoms,
bandages, band aids, disinfectants, and pharmaceuticals. More specialized medical supplies and devices
are also manufactured in Australia such as in vitro diagnostic medical devices,
X-Ray equipment, imaging devices, surgical lasers, pacemakers, dialysis
equipment, baby incubators, and heart valves among others.
The medical supplies and devices
industry in Australia is comprised of a small number of multinational companies
and a large number of small and medium sized enterprises. Many of them are considered world
leaders. The two largest medical device
companies in terms of market capitalisation are internationally renowned, these
are ResMed and Cochlear.
The industry is estimated to be
worth about US$286.51 billion and has an annual growth of 10 per cent. Australia’s share of the market is pegged at 3.88
per cent. Products in the industry are
showcased in international events such as Medica-Germany, HIMSS USA and HIMSS
Asia-Pacific, Arab Health and a few others.
For a list of Australian companies
in the Medical Supplies and Devices manufacturing, please visit http://www.ozsuppliers.com.au/product-directory/20-health-a-medical.
