Medica 2005
The organisers of Medica, the world's largest medical trade fair have reported that 137,000 visitors from around 100 countries attended these events in November.
Almost 40% of the visitors were from countries other than Germany, and these included a particularly high number from overseas markets such as the USA, India, China or Taiwan, and Arab countries.
‘The industry, with its innovative power, has sent out exactly the right signals countering the discussions about healthcare costs, said Wilhelm Niedergöker, Managing Director of Messe Dusseldorf, who said he had conducted numerous talks with exhibitors during the event. ‘The interest taken by visitors in more efficient and higher quality diagnosis and therapy procedures was enormous and therefore spirits among exhibiting firms were correspondingly high.’
The Medica Media section virtually served as a point of departure for an electronic health card route, the organisers noted. ‘Visitors along this route were able to network with various exhibits covering the card theme.’ Companies explained the functions and procedures associated with the card explained, including, for example, card processes, electronic prescription, data-protection, physicians’ digital signatures etc.
Other new innovations viewed by visitors was a heart implant with built-in transmitter that automatically sends cardiac data to a medical care centre; ultrasound devices with optimised sound heads for improved 3-D imaging, and more compact laboratory equipment for low-cost rapid tests at doctors’ practices.
The Congress
There were over 500 speakers and 170 workshops, and much else, and discussions ranged over cancer types; worldwide infectious diseases; pain therapy and disease in old age. ‘The presentation of the latest state-of-the-art research in stem cell therapy by experts from the Dusseldorf Heinrich-Heine University was very well received,’ said Gerd Fischer, Secretary General of the German Society for Medical Diagnostics. ‘The pros and cons had already been exhaustively debated in the run-up and now at the event itself the focus was on an exchange of ideas about current options.’
The 28th Deutsche Krankenhaustag
(German Hospital Congress) followed the theme ‘Hospital 2006 - Closure or Future?’ and over 1,500 participants gained perspectives on DRGs, increasing competition and demands for the quality care.
ComPaMED
had 302 exhibitors this year, visited by around 9,000 people.
The trend towards miniaturisation and ever more compact, yet increasingly complex systems was the central theme of the joint stand and Forum of IVAM - Germany’s Professional Association for Microtechnology.
Details for 2006:
http://www.medica.de.
http://www.compamed.de
23.05.2006
