Following the approval of the draft Law on Medicines and Medical Devices by the Council of Ministers and ahead of the start of its parliamentary proceedings, the Spanish Federation of Healthcare Technology Companies, Fenin, wishes to state that:
- This is a positive and necessary legislative initiative to adapt medical device regulation to the challenges facing Spain’s National Health System, which needs to incorporate technological innovation in order to become more effective and efficient.
- It addresses long-standing demands from the Healthcare Technology sector that should help improve the competitiveness of companies, facilitate investment in Spain and support the adoption of innovation.
- It promotes a value-based healthcare procurement policy, with the aim of ensuring that quality criteria play a leading role in decisions concerning the acquisition of healthcare technology. Higher-quality technology is essential to delivering high-quality public healthcare, based on the best possible diagnosis and treatment of patients in an increasingly digital environment.
- We welcome the Government’s commitment to promoting a ‘Protech Plan’ for our industry, aimed at supporting companies that invest in Spain, recognising their commitment to R&D and strengthening strategic autonomy in healthcare technology. Fenin will continue working with the Ministries of Health and Industry, as well as with Spain’s Autonomous Communities, to accelerate investment by our sector in the country.
- We appreciate the Ministry of Health’s willingness to listen to and recognise the specific characteristics of the Healthcare Technology sector, reflected in the draft Law through the establishment of a dedicated regulatory framework that will enable the sector to realise its full potential.
The draft Law also offers an opportunity to introduce further improvements during the parliamentary process, including the necessary indexation of public contracts to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), in order to safeguard the viability of our sector and ensure patients’ access to the highest-quality technologies.
Fenin remains at the disposal of all parliamentary groups to support the introduction of provisions that maximise the contribution of this industry to improving patients’ health and quality of life, as well as to generating employment and economic growth in Spain.