Delivering a modern healthcare system must be a top priority for the next government according to the Irish Medical Devices Association (IMDA), the Ibec group that represents the medical technology industry
IMDA outlined the measures needed to maintain Irish competitiveness in a major document on the sector's priorities for the next government and said it is urging the next government to invest in the healthcare system.
The six priority areas IMDA identified in the document were:
- Improving the infrastructure of Ireland’s healthcare system.
- The promotion of innovation leadership within the Irish healthcare system.
- The reduction of healthcare costs.
- Helping medtech businesses to generate intellectual property, leverage IT and medtech sectors and establish a manufacturing research and technology institute.
- Encouraging Med-tech start-ups encouragement through reforming capital gains tax and shared option schemes.
- Making sure that higher education institutes equip students with the skills needed to gain jobs and promote entrepreneurship at second level.
IMDA director, Sinead Keogh said: "Like many countries, Ireland's health system faces the challenge of dealing with increased pressures with limited resources. But there is now an opportunity for the next government to build a world-class healthcare system to attract more clinical research into Ireland.
“This should be underpinned by state of the art infrastructure to support work with cutting edge technologies like robotics, surgery simulation, cell manufacturing and 3D printing.
Keogh continued: “With as many as four out of five med-tech companies either being a start-up or an SME more can be done to support growth. Changes to capital gains tax in Budget 2016 were a step in the right direction, but much more must be done if government want to make Ireland a global start-up hub by 2020."