INDUSTRY WATCH

When it comes to challenges on a global level , supply chains have struggled to bring new technology from concept to product and then develop and deliver those products quickly . When it comes to technology itself , how quickly we can adapt to a fast-moving environment in healthcare is important .

Productivity is key for most healthcare these days ; the need to see more patients per day with the same resources . We know that it ’ s an opportunity and a challenge for us that populations are broadly , certainly in Western economies , living longer so you ’ ve got an exponential rise in the healthcare demands . As a healthcare technology provider , we are expected to deliver more for less in productivity and ease of use . We ’ ve got to make our systems easier and more instinctive to use .

Explain how Canon Medical ’ s ‘ Made For Life ’ philosophy influences the company ’ s approach to partnerships , patient care and the development of new technologies .

Our philosophy ‘ Made For Life ’ is that we ’ re making products that save lives . We aim to enrich all the lives that we touch with our partnerships , we always want to add more value than we take out and those partnerships can be with hospital institutions or educational institutions , like universities , because we value all frontier knowledge .

That ‘ Made For Life ’ philosophy is about the integrity of our decision-making , that we ’ re always putting as much into the pot as we ’ re taking out and at the end of it , we ’ re trying to create lifesaving and life-prolonging solutions that hit that mark .

Can you share a pivotal moment or experience in your career that significantly influenced your leadership style and approach to the healthcare technology sector ?

I was a healthcare professional for 10 years and I was once a customer of this company . I ’ ve been on the frontline with patients and know that when machines like CT scanners become unavailable , due to technical faults , which can happen at three in the morning , and there ’ s been a major trauma , that can be a difficult experience . The epicentre of that , because a CT scan is a triage tool , is patients journey into a hospital and are triaged to perhaps an operation , recovery or even discharge .

As I have triaged patients in that space , I have witnessed that diagnostics don ’ t work well all the time . In knowing what patients need and comprehending the stresses , pain points and challenges , as well as how important it is that technology works , I ’ ve worked to ensure high uptime and swift engineering support , reducing wait times for spare parts from days to hours .

I ’ ve always conveyed to the team that while you might not have a background in healthcare like mine , we ’ re all part of this journey together .

I ’ ve structured the company to be responsive , ensuring round-the-clock service availability . Our engineers are on call seven days a week , even on occasions like Father ’ s Day , and they ’ re prepared to work through the night if necessary . One of our strategic projects involves addressing machine issues remotely on the first attempt by logging in , regardless

Mark Hitchman , Canon Medical Systems UK ’ s Managing Director

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