Medical Technology Group
This is a public affairs initiative to promote the Medical
Technology sector in the areas of Cardiology and Orthopaedics. The
campaign is actively supported by Eucomed (EU) and Advamed (US), to promote the value of
innovative medical technologies to the NHS.
The Medical Technology Group (MTG) is made up of patient
groups, healthcare professionals and industry sponsors. Its
objective is to pull through the NHS cash injection into the
medical technology sector.
The new paradigm -"investment in medical technology improves
quality of life and economic productivity" is at the heart of the
campaign. This new paradigm is illustrated significantly in the
Wanless report published in April 2002.
In May 2001, the Medical Technology Group signed a statement
entitled "A new deal for patients", describing the challenges of
balancing limited healthcare resources, ever increasing demands of
an ageing population, and the introduction of life saving
innovative technologies. The text highlights the disparity between
the UK and the rest of Europe in terms of healthcare spending, and
in particular, in terms of relative numbers of implants of
implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), and percutaneous
coronary interventions (PCIs). The MTG makes a number of
recommendations for better patient access to innovative medical
technologies, and shortening waiting lists for
surgery.