● 의료기기협회보 200호 기고 - APACMed

Coming together is a beginning
"Staying together is progress. Working together is success"

Emerging stronger together

The coronavirus pandemic has driven home the fact that healthcare is the foundation of any thriving society. The past year has forced us to reorient our lives around an entirely new vocabulary –one that includes terms like social distancing, contact tracing and lock-down. Although we have a long recovery in front of us, the world has achieved some victories against the virus in the form of new collaborations, accelerated vaccines and the acceleration of digital health solutions. In addition to this, our industry and healthcare workers have stepped up in an unprecedented way, working tirelessly to keep us safe at tremendous risk to themselves and their families. COVID-19 is by far, one of the largest public health efforts in history—one involving policymakers, healthcare professionals, medical experts, business and community leaders, and many others working together to overcome this global crisis. It is this shared purpose to recover in a way that leaves us stronger and more prepared for the next challenge that underpins our fight against the pandemic.

APACMed and KMDIA : Coming together is a Beginning

At Asia Pacific Medical Technology Association (APACMed), building strategic partnerships to shape the future of healthcare across the region is the cornerstone of our strategy. With the common vision to represent a stronger, unified voice for advocacy to advance healthcare access for patients in Asia Pacific, APACMed and the Korean Medical Devices Industry Association (KMDIA) formed a strategic partnership in 2017. Harnessing the strengths and capabilities of both our organizations enable us to amplify our work and better address regulatory and market access challenges to grow the medical devices and in-vitro diagnostics industry in the Korea and the region.

Staying together is Progress

South Korea has one of the best health care systems in the world. It is a dynamic market for medical technology innovations boosted by advanced infrastructure, strong business culture and government support. Its quick response to the COVID-19 pandemic is the result of a consistent and coherent coordination strategy between the state and private sector which is something many countries have wanted to learn from. We look forward to deepening our collaboration with KMDIA for in-market expertise and strong connections to facilitate access to local policymakers and stakeholders, and to jointly drive medical technological innovation in Korea.

Working together is Success

We appreciate the strong support and contributions by KMDIA in spearheading and pioneering a few new initiatives in Korea with us. On 29 July 2021, we organized our first Policymaker Dialogue session to help shape policies to facilitate the acceleration of digital health, specifically on Remote Care Management solutions. We are also working together on a regulatory framework to harmonise digital health regulations across the region.

Together, we can scale new heights

In the coming months, we hope to further strengthen our partnership with KMDIA and continue to work closely on innovative projects to amplify the voice of MedTech in Korea, and to shape the future of healthcare in Asia Pacific. We look forward to scaling new heights together to pave the way for a healthier future for all in a post-COVID 19 world.