Insight Blog

The First Medical Device ASEAN exhibition – Bangkok, Thailand

11-13 July 2018

ASEAN economy has maintained its robust growth trajectory with healthcare as a priority sector. The community identified massive instantaneous demands for updates and skill advancements for the healthcare professionals, to advance and keep up to world and its ever changing technology.

Medical Devices ASEAN (MDA) 2018 has inaugurated its first event on the 11th -13th of July 2018 @IMPACT Exhibition & Convention Center, Bangkok, Thailand, with more than 4,000 medical professionals all around the region with major delegation from the leading hospitals and healthcare facilities making up about 150 companies and organisations. Let the pictures tell you the story….

 

 

Arrived late in the afternoon, after landing at 8am in the morning, and back to back meetings.  Note the country split of the companies and organisations on display.  Basically it is suited for the Thai market

 

 

By this time most of the crowd had left, but the morning was graced by the Minister of Health, the Secretary General of Thai FDA, amongst other distinguished guests

 

 

This is one of the more established distributors for various medical device companies, showing the range of products. Sales reps was apply to pose for us ^^

 

 

Kongsak is one of the brave companies way back that jumped out of distributorship into contract manufacturing then into product ownership. The Thai government is trying very hard to spur the local industry to do the same and transform Thailand into an innovation centre in the region

 

 

Speaking of Innovation, here we go!  Thailand is up and coming with all things robotics – cost effective too!

 

 

Was graciously introduced by the Director of Thai FDA to the Department of Medical Sciences. After visiting the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) for so many years, it was until today that I met some of the staff from the Department.  

As shown this is the testing unit of the Department.  Very good pricing for the various tests!  Anyone likes to enquire write to us (click on this link)

 

 

 

This is a great sign – the Thai FDA having its own booth and letting the younger generation try it out to man the booth.  All able to understand and speak English!  This is great to have the regulatory authority to help out with understanding the regulations for medical devices in Thailand, as well as being on hand to explain these complex stuff!

 

 

It may look like a simple brochure infographic, some simple stand up posters. But Thai FDA was never this engaging and open and everything in English!  I m totally impressed and happy for them!

See these colourful booklets?  Guidance notes for the Common Submission Dossier Template (CSDT), in both Thai and English! This is in prep for the regulations change to its general device category – as well as the complete overhaul of the device classification rules in line with the ASEAN Medical Device Directive

 

 

 

BDMS – Bangkok Dusit Medical Services.  HUGE player in the Hospital Services field

 

 

If you could barely see the chart, it’s about 630+  medical device manufacturers of all sorts in Thailand, and 5 times as much are distributors

 

This session was sponsored by the Board of Investment (BOI), one of the funding organisations in Thailand. Presenter was sharing his experience of transitioning from the non-medical field to the medical device industry

 

How can we forget the kind sponsors and contributors?

 

 

Of course, there has to be something nice to round up the  visit.  A HUGE bingsu at the DMK Airport!  from the last trip to Bangkok and flying back from that airport, I had already craved for it, and now finally…

 

The highlights for me was really, the Food and Drug Administration of Thailand.  Their willingness to engage and the improvement in terms of the communication and cooperation with the industry is strongly spurred on by their new Director, Khun Korrapat – whose a hands-on, no-nonsense, and highly engaging (with a great sense of humour!). This inaugural event may start small, but hope it will gather from strength to strength, and try to draw the innovators of the ASEAN manufacturers to showcase their medical technology to the rest of the world.  And Access-2-Healthcare is more than ready to help them.

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