Medical equipment industry told to modernise ahead of AEC

Supachai Lorlohakarn, director of the National Innovation Agency, said a technology-oriented approach was essential for the industry to build its competitiveness against Asean counterparts. 

The NIA, a public organisation under the Industry Ministry, teamed up with the Industrial Economics Office, Technology Promotion Association (Thailand-Japan) and Mahidol University to hold the symposium on the opportunities and impacts of the AEC on the industry.

The event was aimed at announcing projects on the research and development of medical and healthcare equipment and supplies as well as to provide stakeholders with guidelines on how to drive this fast-growing industry under the AEC’s parameters.

The industry has become highly competitive with huge growth potential. 

“Over recent years, Thailand exported more than Bt17 billion of medical equipment and supplies annually. At the same time, domestic demand for such products continues to increase by 9 per cent per year, thanks to the government’s policy to promote Thailand as a medical hub of Asia,” Supachai said.

In fact, most medical and healthcare equipment and supplies exported each year rely on standard manufacturing technology and locally sourced raw materials such as rubber and plastic, he said.

Apiwat Asamaporn, deputy director-general of the Industrial Economics Office, said Thailand was positioning itself as the medical hub of Asia with many strengths, such as world-class skilled personnel and good-quality medical services, which are well accepted by foreigners.

“However, the country has many weaknesses, as it needs to buy technology from abroad. We are lacking many medical personnel, such as in the area of biomedical engineering. Thailand also lacks a good connection between research and development and commercial manufacturing,” he said.

Somkiat Wattanasirichaikul, director of the National Research Council of Thailand, said the industry was still deficient in public-private partnerships to prepare itself for the AEC.

“The private sector is usually the spearhead in driving the country’s GDP, and what the government is supposed to do for them is to support them, not regulate and control them,” he said.

The current rules and regulations on medical products limit the commercial growth of the private sector, he said. “We are also short of research managers who can communicate and invite medical manufacturers from around the world to invest in the country. They can also develop medical products from lab scale to manufacturing scale.” 

The NIA has recently launched its action plan for the development of the biomedical industry. It encourages the establishment of an industry cluster covering knowledge transfer at the national and international levels. This will contribute greatly to raising the confidence of all stakeholders and promoting the continuous flow of investment within the healthcare environment.