We’re proud to once again contribute to this year’s Hospital News Medtech supplement. As the national association representing Canada’s medical technology companies, we collaborate closely with health care providers and government partners across the country to ensure that patients and health systems have access to innovative technologies that enhance outcomes, ease the workload on clinicians, and expand access to care. Our member companies develop and supply a wide range of essential medical technologies—including pacemakers, MRIs, glucose monitors, wound care products, and orthopaedic implants, among many others—that are vital to the delivery of modern health care.
Our association was originally established to engage with the Canadian government on issues related to the regulatory framework for medical devices. While regulatory affairs—particularly collaboration with Health Canada—remains a core focus, our mandate has evolved over time. Today, we also advocate for policies and initiatives that foster a supportive environment for the adoption of medical technologies and promote the growth of the industry across Canada.
A central pillar of our association’s strategic plan is to “Support the Canadian Health Care System in Addressing Its Most Pressing Challenges.” We recognize the ongoing difficulties facing health care in Canada, and this strategy is designed to align our efforts with the evolving needs of our health care partners. One key focus is promoting the use of medical technologies to help reduce surgical and procedural wait times and improve system efficiencies to ease the burden on clinicians and support solutions to health human resource shortages. In the years ahead, we will continue to collaborate with health system stakeholders to reassess emerging challenges and adjust our initiatives to remain responsive and impactful.
Although challenges remain that hinder the adoption of innovative medical technologies in Canada—such as siloed funding structures, the absence of appropriate billing codes, and limited dedicated funding—meaningful progress has been made in addressing these issues. For example, the recently launched Health Innovation Pathway in Ontario, BC’s Innovation Intake program and Nova Scotia’s Health Innovation Hub are important initiatives that seek to increase the adoption of technologies that can benefit patients and health care systems in these jurisdictions. We remain committed to addressing the barriers to medical technology adoption by actively engaging with governments, medical associations, and health system stakeholders. Through collaboration, we aim to offer practical solutions such as improving medical technology adoption pathways and utilization of value-based procurement methodologies, to help overcome barriers and accelerate access to patient and clinician access to beneficial technologies.
Last year was an exciting one for our association and the medical technology ecosystem in Canada, as a world-leading medical technology conference came to Canada. The MedTech Conference—which is North America’s largest conference dedicated to medical technology—came to Canada for the first time ever. It was great to see so many of our health system partners joining us at this event—making Toronto the largest edition of The MedTech Conference yet with 4,350 attendees, representing 1,926 companies from 48 countries. The goal was to have 700 Canadians attend, but the actual number exceeded 1,700, providing the Canadian medtech ecosystem with a massive presence at the conference and it was a true testament to the thriving medtech ecosystem we have in Canada. In fact, the conference was such a success that organizers have committed to bringing it to Canada once again in the future!
To our health care partners: thank you for your unwavering dedication to delivering exceptional care to patients every day. Our industry remains committed to supporting you and your vital work for Canadians, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration to help address the challenges you face.
Nicole DeKort is the President & CEO for Medtech Canada – the industry association representing Canada’s Medical Technology Companies.