The Institute for Biotechnology and Medicine Industry (IBMI) yesterday signed an agreement with a Czech nonprofit organization to jointly launch a 200 million euros (US$233.5 million) African medical aid procurement program.
The cooperation agreement was signed by IBMI vice president Yang Pan-chyr (楊泮池) and Petr Foit, chairman of the Czech Health Technology Institute, during the opening of the Healthcare+ Expo Taiwan in Taipei.
Since 2023, IBMI has worked with the Czech institute to help a range of Taiwanese medical products — including handheld ultrasound devices, microplate readers and electrocardiography systems — enter European markets through various projects, Yang said.
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Taipei Times
This year, the partnership would be deepened through the launch of the African medical aid procurement program.
The procurement program would source a range of medical equipment from Taiwan to enhance primary healthcare, maternal and child care, and regional and central hospital resilience in sub-Saharan Africa, according to IBMI.
The equipment would include about 20 items, such as intensive care respiratory devices and vital-sign monitoring equipment, including fetal heart monitors, it said.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
It is a major step as Taiwan’s medical technology sector seeks to go international, enabling cooperation with more countries under the EU framework and helping to expand into the European and emerging markets, the IBMI said.
The Healthcare+ Expo Taiwan is being held at the Nangang Exhibition Center in Taipei through Sunday, including a networking reception with global healthcare and association leads.
At the opening yesterday, President William Lai (賴清德) touted the government’s five-year, NT$48.9 billion (US$1.56 billion) investment in a comprehensive plan to create a “healthy Taiwan,” a priority of which is promoting smart healthcare.
The plan includes adopting the Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources standard to streamline the integration of technology into medicine, he said.
Taiwan boasts not just high-quality healthcare, but a sizeable biotechnology industry and a powerful technology sector, laying a solid foundation for the continued development of Taiwan’s medical technology industry, he added.
Additional reporting by Kayleigh Madjar
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