What percentage of medical products used in Australia are imported?
A.Well, we are an importing country approximately 80% of health-care products are imported. The market is about $1.6 billion slightly more than 1% of the global market and serves a population of only 18 million. Australian manufacturers tend to serve niche markets rather than produce large volumes of low-cost commodity items. For example, one Australian company has made a global name for itself because of its cochlear implant and holds some 80% of the world market. Other products Australian manufacturers are successfully exporting include diagnostic technologies such as tumor markers. Local manufacturers produce product totaling about $500 million, and more than half of these products will be exported. Q.What is MIAA’s involvement with the Seventh Global Medical Device Conference to be held in Sydney in February? A.MIAA was interested in getting involved in some way with the conference, and our colleagues in the United States and Europe urged us to sponsor and organize it. The conferen
