German minister's promises boost device industry
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
As the German government gears up to defend its record at the next general election, health minister Ulla Schmidt is striving to put healthcare at the forefront of the political agenda. In a speech entitled "Social Democratic guidelines to health politics", given last week in Berlin, the minister announced series of measures that must have seemed like music to ears of the E14 billion ($12.5 billion) medical device industry. Given that the SPD has lost ground in the election race recently, the industry is wondering if her promise of actions comes too late.