German Government starts the initiative "Health - Made in Germany"
The overall aim of the initiative is to exploit the dormant capacities that lie within the export of health care products made in Germany. In Germany, many companies are already world leaders in their fields, in part due to a policy of consistent and early promotion of health care in Germany. German technology suppliers possess decades of valuable experience in realizing health care projects both at home and abroad. Provider of products and services know to develop and provide customized solutions. The German health care industry is a powerhouse characterized by high innovation, steady growth and continually developing employment potential.
Federal Minister for Economy and Technology Dr. Philipp Rösler (left) together with Federal Minister for Health Daniel Bahr
© BMWi
Besides the U.S. and Japan, Germany is by far the largest health care market (EUR 408.66 billion total volume of healthcare industry in 2007 and rising, with a 10.5 percent share of GDP in 2008).
Over the past 10 years, the average growth of gross value added in the health care industry has been significantly higher than in the overall economy. Germany's health care industry employs some 5.4 million highly qualified personnel, including doctors, engineers, chemists, physicists, and mathematicians. Pharmaceutical and medical technologies are the largest segments, but also smaller, innovative branches contribute to Germany's health care economy.
"Health - Made in Germany", initiated by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, bundles key information and contact details related to German health care products and services and publishes it on the internet for the use of potential customers.
The German health care industry has a long tradition of numerous innovations that have set world standards. The industry's consistent ability to turn theory into practice has played a key role in allowing this achievement. Reliable, close cooperation between companies and scientific research facilities are the basis of this strength. Among Germany's globally known scientific institutions are the Fraunhofer Institutes, the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers, Robert-Koch Institute, Paul-Ehrlich Institute, and the Leibniz Association.
Numerous innovations in the German health care industry lead to progressively improved products and constant growth in know-how. German products have also been associated with high quality for decades and are in demand worldwide. As a result, many German companies in the health care industry can look back on years of successful, global experience. These companies are therefore able to custom produce equipment and technology to meet the needs of customers on-site and tailor products to suit local infrastructure. Among the German companies that have global reputations and are rich in tradition are Siemens, Otto Bock, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bayer AG, B Braun, and Dräger.
Ensuring the quality of products and services is a priority in Germany. German products will continue to be associated with quality and safety worldwide because numerous institutions in Germany as the Medical Standards Committee (NANMed) in DIN e.V. or the TÜV oversee the safety and reliability of technologies and manufactured goods. In this way, it is guaranteed that the products made in Germany are reliable and work safely, even under extreme conditions and over long periods of time to ensure that customer expectations of every single product are fully met.