Author: Team

Increasing domestic manufacturing during COVID-19

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Med-Con Pty Ltd – a manufacturer near Shepparton in regional Victoria – has increased production with the support of the Government and the Australian Defence Force.

Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews said work is underway to significantly increase their manufacturing capability over time to meet demand as the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve.

“From helping to access new equipment to providing staff, we are doing what we can to enable companies like Med-Con to ramp up production and boost our domestic capacity,” Minister Andrews said.

“There’s a lot of fear in the community at the moment but Australians should know that work is happening to help us best respond to this unfolding crisis.

“This is important work but it’s also essential we get it right – this equipment needs to be produced to the highest standards.”

Minister for Defence, Senator Linda Reynolds said around a dozen ADF personnel are helping under Defence Assistance to the Civil Community (DACC) arrangements.

“The team, which is comprised of highly qualified engineering maintenance specialists from the Army Logistic Training Centre and the Joint Logistics Unit – Victoria, are supporting the request,” Minister Reynolds said.

“These skilled soldiers are with the company’s existing staff on production, maintenance and warehousing tasks.

“The Defence support will fill a short-term gap while Med-Con Pty Ltd recruits and trains supplementary staff. This is an example of the kind of exceptional circumstances which the DACC rules are designed to cover.”

In addition the Government has put out a Request for Information (RFI) to get a further understanding of the manufacturing capability and capacity that exists domestically, so that as a country, we are well-positioned to increase production of these products at home.

Minister Andrews added, “we are casting the net as widely as we can, asking manufacturers if they have the ability to diversify the work they do.”

“As those opportunities continue to present, we will work with manufacturers to support their transition.

“Australian manufacturers have already been reaching out with offers to help. I’m confident our Aussie ingenuity will guide us through this difficult time.”

ECONOMIC STIMULUS PACKAGE

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The targeted stimulus package is focused on keeping Australians in jobs and helping small and medium sized businesses to stay in business.

The package has four parts:

  • Supporting business investment
  • Providing cash flow assistance to help small and medium sized business to stay in business and keep their employees in jobs
  • Targeted support for the most severely affected sectors, regions and communities;
  • Household stimulus payments that will benefit the wider economy

The measures are all temporary, targeted and proportionate to the challenge we face.  The Government is hoping the actions will ensure it’s response to the immediate challenges Australia faces and help Australia bounce back stronger on the other side, without undermining the structural integrity of the Budget.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said as part of the plan up to 6.5 million individuals and 3.5 million businesses would be directly supported by the package.

“Just as we have acted decisively to protect the health of the Australian people, based on the best evidence and medical advice, our support package responds to the economic challenges presented by this pandemic in a timely, proportionate and targeted way,” the Prime Minister said.

“Our plan will back Australian households with a stimulus payment to boost growth, bolster domestic confidence and consumption, reduce cash flow pressures for businesses and support new investments to lift productivity.

“Australia is not immune to the global coronavirus challenge but we have already taken steps to prepare for this looming international economic crisis.

“We’ve balanced the budget and managed our economy so we can now use this to protect the health, wellbeing and livelihoods of Australians.

“Our targeted stimulus package will focus on keeping Australians in jobs and keeping businesses in business so we can bounce back strongly.

“The economy needs temporary help right now to bounce back better so the livelihoods of all Australians are protected.”

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said Australia is approaching the economic challenge from the Coronavirus from a position of strength with IMF and the OECD both forecasting Australia to grow faster than comparable countries including the UK, Canada, Japan, Germany and France.

“Our plan keeps businesses operating, supports jobs and provides a stimulus to households,” the Treasurer said.

“The Government has worked hard over the last six and a half years to return the budget to balance so we have the flexibility to respond to the serious economic challenges posed by the Coronavirus.”

“Given Australia’s strong economic and fiscal position, the international credit rating agency Standard and Poor’s indicated that temporary stimulus would be “unlikely to strain Australia’s creditworthiness.

“In our response, we have been very careful not to repeat the mistakes of previous stimulus programs and not undermine the structural integrity of the budget.

“Today’s announcement will provide the support businesses need to stay in business and keep Australians in a job.

“By acting decisively this package will put Australia in the strongest possible position to deal with the economic challenges we face and to make sure our economy bounces back even stronger.”

Delivering support for business investment

  • $700 million to increase the instant asset write off threshold from $30,000 to $150,000 and expand access to include businesses with aggregated annual turnover of less than $500 million (up from $50 million) until 30 June 2020. For example, assets that may be able to be immediately written off are a concrete tank for a builder, a tractor for a farming business, and a truck for a delivery business.
  • $3.2 billion to back business investment by providing a time limited 15 month investment incentive (through to 30 June 2021) to support business investment and economic growth over the short term, by accelerating depreciation deductions. Businesses with a turnover of less than $500 million will be able to deduct an additional 50 per cent of the asset cost in the year of purchase.

These measures have already started and will support over 3.5 million businesses (over 99 per cent of businesses) employing more than 9.7 million employees or 3 in every 4 workers. The measures are designed to support business sticking with investment they had planned, and encouraging them to bring investment forward to support economic growth over the short term.

Cash flow assistance for businesses

  • $6.7 billion to Boost Cash Flow for Employers by up to $25,000 with a minimum payment of $2,000 for eligible small and medium-sized businesses. The payment will provide cash flow support to businesses with a turnover of less than $50 million that employ staff, between 1 January 2020 and 30 June 2020. The payment will be tax free. This measure will benefit around 690,000 businesses employing around 7.8 million people. Businesses will receive payments of 50 per cent of their Business Activity Statements or Instalment Activity Statement from 28 April with refunds to then be paid within 14 days.
  • $1.3 billion to support small businesses to support the jobs of around 120,000 apprentices and trainees. Eligible employers can apply for a wage subsidy of 50 per cent of the apprentice’s or trainee’s wage for up to 9 months from 1 January 2020 to 30 September 2020. Where a small business is not able to retain an apprentice, the subsidy will be available to a new employer that employs that apprentice.

Stimulus payments to households to support growth

  • $4.8 billion to provide a one-off $750 stimulus payment to pensioners, social security, veteran and other income support recipients and eligible concession card holders. Around half of those that will benefit are pensioners. The payment will be tax free and will not count as income for Social Security, Farm Household Allowance and Veteran payments. There will be one payment per eligible recipient. If a person qualifies for the one off payment in multiple ways, they will only receive one payment.

Payments will be from 31 March 2020 on a progressive basis, with over 90 per cent of payments expected to be made by mid-April.

Assistance for severely-affected regions

  • $1 billion to support those sectors, regions and communities that have been disproportionately affected by the economic impacts of the Coronavirus, including those heavily reliant on industries such as tourism, agriculture and education. This will include the waiver of fees and charges for tourism businesses that operate in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and Commonwealth National Parks. It will also include additional assistance to help businesses identify alternative export markets or supply chains. Targeted measures will also be developed to further promote domestic tourism. Further plans and measures to support recovery will be designed and delivered in partnership with the affected industries and communities.

The Government is also offering administrative relief for certain tax obligations, including deferring tax payments up to four months. This is similar to relief provided following the bushfires for taxpayers affected by the coronavirus, on a case-by-case basis.  The ATO will set up a temporary shop front in Cairns within the next few weeks with dedicated staff specialising in assisting small business. In addition, the ATO will consider ways to enhance its presence in other significantly affected regions to make it easier for people to apply for relief, including considering further temporary shop fronts and face-to-face options.

The Government’s economic support package is proportionate, timely and scalable to respond to the economic challenges presented by the spread of the coronavirus.

Through this response and the actions the Government has taken to bring the Budget back to balance over the last six and a half years, Prime Minister Morrison said that Australians can be confident that the nation is one of the best prepared to respond to the economic impacts of the coronavirus.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

$4.9 MILLION FOR COLLABORATIVE HEALTH AND MEDICAL RESEARCH

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The latest round of funding through the Government’s National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) Partnership Projects scheme will fund six projects.

The Government’s investment is matched by Partner Organisations, demonstrating a joint commitment to bringing the best and most up-to-date research discoveries to the Australian community.

The University of Melbourne will receive over $415,920 to assess suicides in public places that have become known as ‘suicide hotspots’. The research will provide practical guidance on how best to deal with suicide hotspots.

Suicides at hotspots have a massive ripple effect on the loved ones of those who have died, and are traumatic for those who live or work at these sites. Almost a third of all suicides occur in locations that are or may become hotspots, and there may be as many as 120 hotspots in Australia.

The research team will collaborate with five Partner Organisations that fund, deliver, advise on and advocate for interventions to prevent suicides in public places.

The University of Newcastle will receive $734,163 to improve antenatal care to prevent excess weight gain.

Weight gain outside recommended levels during pregnancy contributes to a range of adverse outcomes for the mother and child, including gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, preterm birth and obesity.

Despite guidelines recommending routine weighing and weight gain care being provided by antenatal services, 50-70% of women gain weight outside recommended levels during pregnancy.

The University of Sydney will receive $1,108,389 to develop the Get Health Coaching Service to reduce the burden of low back pain.

Australia spends $9 billion annually on low back pain management. The proposed approach aims to improve health services and processes in low back pain management, at low cost, and be readily implementable across Local Health Districts in NSW.

These grants will support our health and medical research workforce, providing opportunities for more health advances and for direct impact on Australians’ quality of life.

A list of recipients can be found on NHMRC’s Partnership Projects web page. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

TIME RUNNING OUT TO AVOID HEALTH INSURANCE RIP-OFFS

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Of their household costs, survey respondents identified private health insurance as their most pressing cost concern (80%), beating fuel (78%) and electricity (74%).[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]“With premiums set to rise again on April 1, time is running out to avoid health insurance rip- offs. You only have a couple of weeks to take action on your health insurance,” says CHOICE consumer advocate Jonathan Brown.

“Private health insurance has officially taken over energy as the most pressing household cost concern. Since the introduction of the new Gold, Silver and Bronze health tiers last year, CHOICE’s experts have been doing deep analysis and crunching the numbers to help cut through the confusion.”

In 2019 CHOICE analysis found some Australians were paying an additional $1700 a year on some Silver Plus policies and the consumer advocate awarded Medibank a Shonky Award for ‘Basic’ cover that was more expensive than a number of ‘Bronze’ policies. Analysis was made possible by CHOICE’s team of expert analysts and non-profit and independent health insurance comparison tool.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”4423″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]

CHOICE Health Insurance Action Plan

 CHOICE has released a 5 step action plan to help Australians before the April 1 price rises:[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”4424″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]“The CHOICE Health Insurance Action Plan is about cutting through the crap. Some commercial comparison sites compare as few as seven health funds. As a non-profit, CHOICE wants to help you make the right decision for you and your loved one’s needs. That includes figuring out if you even need private health insurance.”

The full CHOICE Health Insurance Action Plan is available at: CHOICE.com.au/HealthAction (We’d love a link back if possible)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

MEDTECH CELEBRATES INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]This year’s theme, Each for Equal, challenges everyone to actively choose to fight bias, broaden perceptions, improve situations and celebrate women’s achievements.

Guests at the event heard from Sheena Vinden, Senior Partner at Atkinson Vinden Lawyers, Trish Bramble, General Manager of the Manly Warringah Women’s Resource Centre and Dr Elizabeth Shoesmith, Founder and CEO of The Inclusive Organisation Group.

All the speakers challenged guests to individually champion greater equality for women in the workplace and in our community, whilst giving a timely reminder that we still have a long way to go.

Women continue to face active bias in the workplace and, whilst progress is being made, there is still a struggle to achieve financial equality and attain senior leadership roles. We all have a role to play to ensure this is addressed.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_images_carousel images=”4411,4412,4413″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

BIG CORPORATE HEALTH INSURERS CALLED OUT

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The ACCC report cities multiple examples where the big corporate insurers have attempted to deny vulnerable Australians access to essential medical treatments, while at the same time raising the price of their premiums.

The report stated that “In 2018-19, private health insurance participants rates continued to decline, while average gap payments for in-hospital and extras treatment increased”.

It also highlighted the fact that “cumulative premium increases have been higher than inflation and wage growth in the past five years, indicating that households with private health insurance are contributing an increasing proportion of their incoming to paying premiums”.

Other industry groups, including the MedTech industry, have slammed the big corporate insurers over their alleged tending ‘policy reform’ as “nothing more than a disturbing attempt to maximise profits over the interests of patients”.

The Medical Technology Association of Australia (MTAA) has said the likes of Medibank, Bupa, NIB and HCF have already undermined consumer confidence in their own products through their “smash and grab” approach to keep their businesses afloat.

The allegation is supported by the ACCC’s instituted proceedings in the Federal Court in May 2017 against NIB where it alleged “it (NIB) contravened the ACL by engaging in misleading or deceptive conduct, unconscionable conduct and making false of misleading representations.” The proceeding arose from NIB’s alleged failure to notify members in advance of its decision to remove certain eye procedures from its ‘MediGap Scheme’ in 2015. Under the MediGap Scheme, members had previously been able to obtain these eye procedures without facing out-of-packet costs when doctors participated in the scheme.

“The Federal Government cannot afford for private health insurers to also now undermine patient confidence in their doctors,” MTAA said in a statement on its website.

Its clear this will not only spell and end to private health insurance as we know it, but irreparable damage to Australia’s healthcare system.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

AUSTRALIANS LACK AWARENESS OF A SERIOUS HEALTH CONDITION

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The reality is that more than 43,500 Australians die from cardiovascular disease with a further 41,400 deaths associated from it.[1] Heart disease remains the most expensive disease with more hospitalisations than any other disease, costing over $12 billion per year and estimated to increase to over $22 billion by 2032-33.[2]

What if I told you there is a disease that impacts 1 in 8 Australians over 75 and, of those, 1 in 3 are under-recognised and under-treated? The real kicker is that up to 50% of those Australians with the severe form of this disease will die within 2 years[3] unless they get surgery.

It’s a condition that’s as common as breast cancer.

Aortic stenosis is the narrowing of the aortic valve that restricts blood flow and, too often, the symptoms, such as chest pain, fainting upon exertion, shortness of breath and reduced activity, are dismissed as “getting old”.

With an ageing population, we will all need to look at ageing through a different lens. For example, Australians aged 65 years and over contribute almost $39 billion each year in unpaid caring and voluntary work. If the unpaid contribution of those aged 55 to 64 years is included, that figure rises to $74.5 billion per year.[4]

A YouGov study commissioned by Edwards Lifesciences surveyed 2004 Australians over the age of 60 and showed 79% of respondents don’t know what aortic stenosis is, despite it being the one of the most common and serious heart valve disease problems in developed countries. [5] The questions were based on a similar survey of 12,820 people aged 60 years or older in 11 European countries in 2017.[6]

Next year, 5.5 million Australians will be over the age 60 years, and this will increase to 6.9 million by 2030.[7] Of those, we estimate the prevalence of severe aortic stenosis will increase from ~35K to ~46K that’s a 31% increase in 10 years.

At present, we are only treating ~8036 Australians, leaving tens of thousands untreated and under-diagnosed.

A recent report[1] from Australian researchers found high rates of mortality associated with both moderate and severe aortic stenosis during long-term follow-up. As such, previous suggestions that moderate aortic stenosis is a benign condition are wrong.

In November, Medicare raised the rebate for heart health checks to 100%, meaning more than 1.5 million Australians at risk of heart attack or stroke now have access to GP-administered heart health checks.

We hope that checking for that ‘whooshing’ or ‘swishing’ sounds, which are signs of a heart murmur, is front of mind, because it will play a critical role in getting Australians at risk of cardiovascular disease the treatment they need.

At Edwards Lifesciences, we’re proud to be the market leader in patient-focused innovations for addressing structural heart disease. We’re committed to delivering innovative therapies for patients, whether it be for the aortic, pulmonary, mitral or tricuspid valves.

Heart disease is the number one cause of death in Australia. Should you be asking your doctor for a heart health check today?

For more information on aortic stenosis please visit: http://www.HopeforHearts.com.au or https://newheartvalve.com/au/[/vc_column_text][vc_zigzag][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”4394″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Pat Williams is the Managing Director of Edwards Lifesciences ANZ.

For more about Pat, watch: Pat Williams, talks about his journey into the MedTech and healthcare space.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator][vc_column_text][1] https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/heart-stroke-vascular-disease/cardiovascular-health-compendium/contents/deaths-from-cardiovascular-disease

[2] https://www.baker.edu.au/-/media/documents/impact/baker-institute_no-second-chances.pdf

[3] Otto CM. Timing of aortic valve surgery. Heart. 2000;84:211-8.

[4] https://aifs.gov.au/publications/archived/1044

[5] Osnabrugge MS et al ‘Aortic Stenosis in the Elderly. Disease Prevalence and Number of Candidates for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: A Meta-Analysis and Modelling Study’ JACC 2013 Vol. 62, No 11, 2013

[6] https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00392-018-1312-5

[7] https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/3222.02017%20(base)%20-%202066?OpenDocument

[8] https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2019.08.004[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

HOW WELL MAINTAINED IS MEDICAL EQUIPMENT IN HOSPITALS?

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  1. NSW Auditor-General’s Report: Performance Audit – Medical equipment management in NSW public hospitals, May 2017

The NSW Auditor General found that: “Only about half the items of equipment included in our sample had testing and maintenance completed according to scheduled intervals or within 30 days of the scheduled date. These intervals were set under the Australian/ New Zealand Standard 3551 ‘Management programs for medical equipment’, which requires regular testing and maintenance of biomedical equipment to ensure it is safe and suitable for clinical use.”

While AS/NZS 3551 may have stipulated a 30-day time frame for completing maintenance within the scheduled date in its previous 2004 version, it no longer specifies any time frame for completing maintenance in its current 2012 version. Instead it states in section 6.7.2 When assessment and testing are delayed: “Where medical equipment is identified as beyond its anticipated re-assessment date, the responsible organization [i.e., hospital] shall be advised that service and testing are overdue. The medical equipment shall be made available at a mutually acceptable time to the clinical user and the service entity to allow assessment of the medical equipment to bring it into compliance.”

An open-ended “mutually acceptable time” for the hospital and the service entity may not be acceptable to ensure the safety of patients. Since the standard does not require that the decision to delay be appropriately approved and documented (justification, approver with management responsibility), it is likely that nobody will feel accountable for maintenance delays.

The audit report also found that: “The information systems used to record service histories of biomedical equipment were inefficient and inadequate for effective planning, monitoring and reporting of testing and maintenance. The implementation of a state-wide asset management system, Asset and Facilities Management Online (AFM Online), which will replace existing systems, has experienced delays. In addition, hospitals did not maintain adequate oversight of testing and maintenance that was outsourced to external contractors.”

Inefficient and inadequate information systems for medical equipment management coupled with slack requirements in AS/NZS 3551:2012 are a very bad combination indeed, likely to result in poor maintenance practices and adverse events.

It is not clear why the 30-day time frame for completing maintenance within the scheduled date was removed from AS/NZS 3551:2012. This change is not even listed in the PREFACE on page 2 of the standard along with other “principal differences”; is it really such a negligible change?

  1. Victorian Auditor-General’s Report: Efficiency and Effectiveness of Hospital Services – High-value equipment, February 2015

The audit of the Victorian Auditor General’s examined the effectiveness and efficiency of planning, delivery and utilisation of high-value imaging equipment in Victorian public hospitals such as CT and MR, and found that public CT and MR imaging services “are not being managed economically, efficiently or effectively across Victoria”.

The report concludes that: “Poor medical equipment asset management practices in public health services exacerbate a lack of planning at the health-system level. None of the six public health services visited had an asset management plan that included imaging equipment. The health services could not communicate to the department—or clearly identify—what their future imaging needs would be over the medium to longer term. This means that although future demand is set to increase, it is not clear at either the health-system or health-service level how that demand might best be met.”

The Auditor General’s report does not mention the AS/NZS 3551 standard at all, but the Victorian Department of Health refers to AS/NZS 3551:2004 in its Medical equipment asset management framework – Parts A and B of 2014 and Part C of 2012. Section 4.2 Maximise the effective life of the asset states: “The maintenance requirements of specific items are determined by the original equipment manufacturer guidelines (as described in the service or maintenance manual) and Australian and New Zealand Standard (AS/NZS) 3551 — Technical management programs for medical devices.”

It is not clear whether the maintenance and management programs for medical equipment have been audited by the Victorian Auditor General at all.

  1. Western Australian Auditor General’s Report: Management of Medical Equipment, May 2017

This audit assessed whether the management of medical equipment in public hospitals is efficient and effective. The audit report points out that: “Medical equipment can be technically complex and require specialist expertise to use, maintain and repair. It generally has an expected life of between 5 and 10 years depending on the type of equipment. The actual life will also depend on a wide range of factors including how often it is used, how reliable it is and how well it is maintained. The unavailability or failure of equipment can present significant risks to patients, staff and service delivery – risks that the health system needs to manage. Individual health service providers and hospitals are responsible for managing their own equipment, including planning, acquisition, maintenance, repair and disposal.”

The audit report concludes: “Equipment failure or unavailability due to repair or maintenance rarely has a serious impact on patient care. However, it does cause incidents and inefficiencies. The risk of adverse events was also increased because preventative maintenance for 16% of equipment we sighted was not done on time, and yet the un-serviced equipment remained available for use. Keeping to maintenance schedules is even more important as 36% of equipment we sighted across our 8 sample hospitals had exceeded its expected life.”

The AS/NZS 3551 is not mentioned in the audit report at all, however the Western Australian Department of Health’s policy for the management of medical equipment of 2019 quotes AS/NZS 3551:2012 as the underlying basis for compliance.

The current approach of State health policies in relation to medical equipment management and maintenance practices appears to be particularly inward looking, with little or no acknowledgement of international best practices like those described in the:

  • international standard ISO 55001:2014 Asset management – Management systems;
  • international standard IEC 62353:2014 Medical electrical equipment – Recurrent test and test after repair of medical electrical equipment;
  • WHO Health technology management resources, encompassing a series of guides published since 2011 (see Figure), including:
  • Procurement process resource guide
  • Medical equipment maintenance programme overview
  • Computerized maintenance management system

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BAXTER NAMED TOP COMPANY FOR GENDER EQUALITY

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Baxter Healthcare Pty Ltd (Baxter) has been named among the top 119 companies in Australia for gender equality for a fifth consecutive year.

The Australian Government’s prestigious “Employer of Choice for Gender Equality” citation is awarded to organisations who set the benchmark for gender equality in the workplace.

Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) Director Libby Lyons congratulated Baxter for its continuous focus on diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

“All these organisations are at the forefront of the momentum for change towards gender equality in Australian workplaces,” Ms Lyons said.

“These industry leaders are showing other Australian businesses how to create a better and more equal future for both women and men.

“They are closing their pay gaps and increasing their representation of women in management at a faster rate than other employers in our dataset.”

General Manager Baxter Australia and New Zealand Steven Flynn said Baxter was proud of its unwavering commitment to diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

“Baxter is honoured to be named among the top 119 companies in Australia as a leader in workplace gender equality,” Mr Flynn said.

“We continue to challenge ourselves and our industry to deliver new policies and measurable targets to achieve gender equality across all levels of management.

“Thank you to all our employees at Baxter for taking ownership on this important social and workplace goal.”

In 2019, Baxter was named for a second consecutive year “Women in MedTech Champion” by the Medical Technology Association of Australia (MTAA) for its commitment to promoting gender equality in the medical device industry.

Baxter gender equality policies and practices include:

  • Proactively supporting women to succeed in leadership roles through accelerated learning programs, networking, mentoring and coaching opportunities.
  • Employment practices that ensure pay equality based on merit rather than gender.
  • Actively encouraging men and women to take paid parental leave; recognising the needs of the family unit regardless of gender.
  • Formal processes for applying for flexible working arrangements, encompassing; part-time work, job sharing and flexible working hours.
  • Domestic violence leave to support employees and foster a safe and secure workplace.

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