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Medical device manufacturers have warned that ignoring climate change could spell disaster

Posted on by darion

On May 24, at the Vienna conference center, the main topic of discussion was the impact of the medical device industry on the global climate. Source: Shutterstock / Vereshchagin Dmitry

The medical device industry is being urged to prepare for the impacts of the climate crisis, as hotter summers and more severe weather events could impact the industry with an increase in the number of patients affected by rising heat.

The industry’s impact on the global climate took center stage at the Medtech Forum 2024 in Vienna, where representatives from healthcare industry giants including Siemens Healthineers and Philips joined forces with representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Commission to discuss what manufacturers can do to prepare while reducing your impact on the climate.

WHO’s Antonius Kolimenakis opened the proceedings by reminding listeners of the pan-European heatwaves of 2022, where research published in the journal Nature Medicine detailed that there were an estimated 60,000-70,000 preventable deaths across the continent this year. directly related to the rapid increase in temperature.

At the same time, panelists were also reminded of the strain that the Covid-19 pandemic has placed on the European medical device scene in sourcing and delivering goods in the midst of the health crisis, warning that as heat levels increase, supply chains could become stretched for manufacturers.

Speaking to the audience, Deputy Director for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises at the European Commission, Hubert Gambs, said: “I am not at all surprised that many people think there will be another health crisis linked to climate change. But I also think that this is an opportunity for an innovative economic sector such as MedTech.

“The number of extreme situations is increasing, no one can deny that. In Europe, we can only look for ways to become more resilient to this challenge. This starts with developing products and devices that are safe and sustainable. When you design a product, do you think about sustainability?”

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The panel discussed the European Environment Agency’s latest report, European Climate Risk Assessment, which details how climate change over the last 30 years has significantly increased the risk of extreme and adverse weather events.

Event participants were also invited to take part in an interactive, visual world cloud, where they could express wishes to decision-makers that they would like to see implemented to combat the climate problem. Vague suggestions such as “harmonization” and “vision” were most popular among most listeners, while specific policy suggestions such as “ending fossil fuel subsidies” fell by the wayside.

The discussion took place shortly after another panel calling on medical device manufacturers to engage in European politics ahead of the upcoming European Union (EU) elections.

The discussion also included a report published in the Health Journal for 2020, which included, among others: Name of a scientific medical journal, which found that the healthcare industry overall produces about 5% of total greenhouse gas emissions, causing temperatures to soar. At the same time, the panel highlighted the efforts made during geopolitical events such as COP28.

Antonius Kolimenakis urged visitors to reduce their impact on the environment, adding: “There is ample evidence that the climate crisis is indeed a health crisis, with around 6.7 million deaths a year indirectly linked to pollution. We now see the direct impact of pollution on our health. We will also experience floods, droughts – all these things that will also put pressure on things like food supplies, which will impact health.

“I don’t think we have time to discuss future planning. We are now learning about the health impacts of the climate crisis.”