By Steve Agbota
Over 120 Nigerian medical related professionals are expected to attend the 2017 edition of Medica fair next month in Dusseldorf, Germany.
However, visitor statistics from MEDICA 2016 indicated that 128, 000 international visitors including Nigeria and and the West African region chose MEDICA fair as the base for their business deals.
A press statement issued by Trade Fair Services Limited, West African representatives for Messe Dusseldorf GmbH organisers of MEDICA, said the uniqueness of the event resides in the fact that it has remained the premier networking and communication platform for the global medical technology marketplace.
The organizers added that over 5,000 exhibitors from 70 countries would use MEDICA 2017 to present their entire range of new products; services and processes for inpatient and outpatient care as no other event worldwide matches the display of such a wealth of innovations.
The organizers explained that the MEDICA trade fair would focus on: Electromedicine/medical technology (approx. 2,500 exhibitors), laboratory technology/ diagnostics, physiotherapy/orthopaedic technology, commodities and consumables, information and communication technology, medical furniture and specialist furnishings for hospitals and practices.
“Emerging economies like ours sometimes hold misconceptions about being inadequately catered for at such high profile events. MEDICA is totally disassociated from this narrative. The disparity across society shows rising incomes at one end of the spectrum and less so at the other end. This polarity presents a mix bag of prosperity related-diseases, greater life expectancies as well as remedial/curative health care demands for medical products.”
The organizers said there was now an obvious and proven greater willingness for people with increased incomes to consequently spend more on healthcare. Conversely, the organizers said where there exist strains on disposable income; wellness and health related expense regain the focus and priority on the household expense list. The organizers stated: “60 per cent of the trade visitors to MEDICA come from outside Germany. This is due to the fact that growing economies also have access to bespoke medical solutions specifically targeted at low-income environments.
Our local healthcare industry is not isolated from the huge leaps in digitisation, artificial intelligence and all the other topical technology buzzwords that are abound these days.
Exponential growth in smartphone penetration and the use of health-related apps, the use of wearable devices fitted with activity trackers as well as simple novel solutions for detecting the authenticity of medicines via SMS prove that Nigeria is certainly included in this discourse. Some gaps do certainly exist between healthcare solutions as currently offered locally versus cutting edge solutions domiciled in more developed environments. However, exposure to new technology is a core requirement to spur our vast intellectual capital. Only those who use their creativity and power of development to consistently align themselves with customer interests and market developments will be able to succeed.”