Environmental Scan 2017 : Human Capital Issues within the Medical Devices Sector
A . Executive Summary
This environmental scan covered all five sub-sectors within the Medical Devices industry ( medical consumables , diagnostic imaging , orthopaedics and prosthetics , patient aids and other medical devices ), with specific focus on the manufacturing of medical devices .
There are currently 230 companies within the scope of this environmental scan , where 166 of them are medical consumables companies , 15 are orthopaedics and prosthetics manufacturers , 7 are diagnostic imaging companies , 4 are patient aids manufacturers and 38 from other medical devices sub-sector . More than half of these companies are SMEs and their main business activities are concentrated in the Klang Valley and Penang .
The MedDev sector in Malaysia is estimated to employ around 65,800 employees and 6,400 outsourced production workers . The environmental scan has identified 3 critical occupations within the surgical / medical gloves segment ( rubber products machine operators , electrical engineering technicians and mechanical engineering technicians ), 3 within other medical consumables segment ( manufacturing managers , research and development professionals and assemblers ) and 7 within the non-consumables segment ( manufacturing managers , manufacturing professionals , sales and marketing managers , mechanical engineering technicians , industrial and production engineers , mechanical engineers and manufacturing supervisors ). The main stumbling block faced by companies in their recruitment is the lack of technical skills / competencies among the talent pool , where it is typically difficult to find talents that are familiar with the medical devices regulations and auditing processes .
Moving forward , the following 7 key recommendations have been identified to address the human capital issues and challenges related to the medical devices industry :
1 . Raise the profile of the medical devices industry among Malaysians to further attract talents
2 . Drive R & D and innovation within the MedDev industry in order to move up the value chain
3 . Increase involvement of the industry in the development of curriculum and training packages , which should be reviewed every 2 years 4 . Improve practical knowledge and technical skillsets of fresh graduates 5 . Increase internship period to a minimum of 6 months and plan a structured internship and lecturer ’ s / instructor ’ s field attachment program for the industry 6 . Promote continuous learning and upskilling to companies and industry professionals 7 . Help industry better understand their current status and gaps , and prepare them to move towards Industry 4.0
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