Medilink North West News - Spring Edition 2015 Medilink North West News - Spring 2015 | Page 8

INTERNATIONAL MEDICA SUCCESS FOR NORTH WEST COMPANIES Companies from across the region put the North West on the international trade map when they visited MEDICA - the largest healthcare exhibition in the world. The show, which took place in November in Dusseldorf, attracted over 130,000 visitors from over 120 countries. Medilink members exhibiting at the event included Bootle-based Mast Group Ltd (who also recently won the Outstanding Achievement Award at the Medilink Awards 2014), Chorley based Synergy Healthcare Plc (who were shortlisted in the Outstanding Achievement Award at the Medilink Awards 2014) and Zilico Ltd who are based at Manchester Science Park. Joachim Schäfer, Managing Director at Messe Düsseldorf, said: “The high number of international visitors has provided medical device technology providers as well as their suppliers at MEDICA, with tailwinds for propping up their export business.” For more information about MEDICA 2015 which runs from 16-19 November 2015 at the Messe Düsseldorf, Germany visit www.medica-tradefair.com NEW OPPORTUNITIES ACROSS SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA Africa Health is the largest healthcare exhibition in the expanding Sub-Saharan Africa region. Following successful events in 2012, 2013 & 2014 Medilink will be organising the UK Pavilion at Africa Health 2015. Healthcare expenditure in South Africa alone was worth £8.8bn in 2014 and the healthcare spend in Sub-Saharan Africa is set to reach $35bn by 2016. 90% of all medical devices in South Africa are imported. Local manufacture is not developed which means there is a great export opportunity for UK companies. Come and join over 6,000 attendees with 380 exhibitors from 53 countries at the largest regional show in Africa. Africa Health runs 5-7 May 2015 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Contact the Medilink International Team on 0114 232 9292 or email [email protected] L@MedilinkINT FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR FEEDBACK ON MEDILINK NEWS, PLEASE CONTACT: Jamie Gill, Senior Services Coordinator Medilink North West 0161 477 7785 [email protected] CHANGING PLACES INTERNATIONALLY Some 1/4 million adults and children in the UK alone who need help to toilet face having to be laid on the toilet floor. New guidelines and legislation have put in place criteria to avoid this situation in Britain, with campaigns in place as far afield as Australia. Under Building Regulations Approved Document M and BS8300:2009, it is desirable to include a Changing Places facility in any building to which the public have access. Kelvin Grimes, Changing Places project manager at Clos-o-Mat, Britain’s leading provider of disabled toilet facilities, observes, “An estimated 10% - 650million people worldwide - are disabled, many of whom need the help of a carer for personal hygiene/ toileting; the recent European Disability Strategy aims to enable them to ‘go about their daily lives like everyone else…removing barriers to equal participation in public life and leisure activities…and that includes going to the toilet when away from home. “Disabled people account, on average, for 20% of retail business. So there is a sound financial incentive to provide Changing Places toilets.” Medilink North West member Clos-o-Mat is the only company with the ability to, in-house, provide design advice, supply, installation, project management, commissioning and ongoing service and maintenance of the equipment. A white paper ‘Considerations and Specification of Changing Places Toilets’, plus support data, is available on the company’s website www.clos-o-mat.com L@closomatuk WWW.MEDILINKNORTHWEST.CO.UK