International Medical Devices and Supplies Forum

22 May 2017 – It may be a little known fact that nursing beds from the Czech Republic are in use in Hong Kong hospitals. In fact, the Czech Republic has over 100 years of experience in developing medical devices and supplies. The country also makes considerable investment in nurturing specialist talents in the fields, which contributes to continuing annual increase in the exports of related devices and supplies. At the “Hong Kong International Medical Devices and Supplies Fair” currently being held by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), a number of Czech industry professionals were invited to take part in the seminar “Advanced Medical Devices and Services from the Czech Republic”. The speakers spoke on topics including orthopaedic footwear, hospital food systems and hospital beds, and discussed future market trends.

Extensive pool of talents in medical devices in Czech Republic 
The forum opened with a brief overview of the development of medical devices and supplies in Czech Republic by Milan Vágner, Consul (Trade & Economy), Consulate General of the Czech Republic. He pinpointed that as early as in 1907, Professor Jan Jánský pioneered the classification of blood into four types. Another scientist Professor Jaroslav Heyrovský was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1959 for development of polarography. These awards attested to the country’s accomplishments in scientific research in related fields. 

Quoting statistics from 2016, Vágner noted that the Czech Republic had a population of 10.65 million; it spent US$1,379 per capita or 7.4% of GDP on healthcare. The country’s medical devices market was valued at US$1.248 billion, with total exports value reaching USD590 million. He added that exports of medical devices and supplies from the Czech Republic include surgical instruments, hospital beds, kitchen and laundry equipment for hospitals. On the other hand, there is great demand for minimally invasive surgery systems, patient monitoring systems and high-end ultrasound systems in the Czech Republic. He also mentioned that labour costs in the Czech Republic are relatively lower than that in other European countries, which is an incentive for foreign enterprises to open their factories in the country.

He emphasised that the Czech government is supportive of the development of medical devices and other related industries. Apart from many technology universities and research institutes, there are a number of industry associations and chambers in the country including Association of Manufacturers and Suppliers of Medical Devices, CzechMed and CzechTrade, all of which make concerted efforts in promoting industry development.

Advanced food systems to ensure food safety
According to Martin Vasko, representative of M-TRAY a.s., a corporation that has provided hospital food systems and services for more than 30 countries in the past 25 years, delivery of patients’ meals from the hospital kitchen to the wards entails changes in food temperature, which results in food hygiene and safety risks. The company’s hospital food systems and services are comprehensive in their functions, which range from data analysis of hospital kitchen, thermostatic devices for meal delivery to logistics risk management systems.

He mentioned that, for instance, the company’s hospital meal delivery cart differs from conventional models in that it has thermostatic devices installed inside the food trays. As a result, the optimal food temperature for patients’ consumption is maintained throughout meal delivery from the kitchen to the wards. He added that in general, meal delivery carts in the hospital are manually cleaned, and the level of hygiene and safety in the process is determined by individual cleaners. However, the company’s automated cleaning system for hospital meal delivery carts can minimize the risk of human error.

Future trends: connecting medical supplies and equipment 
According to Petr Foit, Sales Director of LINET spol. s r.o., the world’s third largest and Europe’s largest manufacturer of hospital and nursing beds, safety and increased mobility for users are the primary criteria of nursing bed manufactured by the company. One of the nursing bed models, i-Brake, is equipped with the smart brake system, which helps prevent the patient’s fall onto the ground due to unexpected negligence of the hospital staff.

He believed that in the future, nursing beds in hospital wards will no longer be isolated pieces of furniture, but connect with other devices and systems. For instance, one of the company’s models of safety monitoring devices can be connected to all the wards. When the alarm on the monitoring device on an individual patient is set off, the medical staff immediately receives data of the patient’s physical condition such as heart rate, which enables them to give appropriate treatment to the patient. 

Bespoke orthopaedic footwear of excellent quality
Another speaker Zbynek Buchtik from DZO s.r.o. gave an introduction of the company’s custom-made orthopaedic footwear. He noted that the company creates custom-made orthopaedic footwear for all ages, sizes and seasons, as it sets out to provide orthopaedic footwear of quality, comfort and durability for persons with disabilities.

As Buchtik elaborated, the bespoke process of the company’s orthopaedic footwear is highly meticulous. Footwear models are made in accordance with the data of the curves of the soles and ankles of the customer’s feet, and then mailed to the customer for fitting. Based on the post-fitting data and the customer’s feedback, several rounds of adjustments are made to the footwear models, until the most-fitting footwear that best caters to the customer’s needs are created. He revealed that the company intends to look for business partners in different markets, and it will provide relevant equipment and training for these partners.

Hong Kong International Medical Devices and Supplies Fair：www.hktdc.com/hkmedicalfair/

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About the HKTDC
Established in 1966, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body dedicated to creating opportunities for Hong Kong’s businesses. With more than 40 offices globally, including 13 on the Chinese mainland, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a platform for doing business with China, Asia and the world. With 50 years of experience, the HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to provide companies, particularly SMEs, with business opportunities on the mainland and in international markets, while providing information via trade publications, research reports and digital channels including the media room. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus.