Medical devices

Medical devices are essential for safe and effective prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of illness and disease. The achievement of health-related development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals depends upon proper manufacturing, regulation, planning, assessment, acquisition, management and use of medical devices which are of good quality, safe and compatible with the settings in which they are used.

As outlined in the World Health Assembly resolution WHA60.29, the WHO Department of Essential Health Technologies (EHT), Diagnostics Imaging and Medical Devices Team (DIM) aims to ensure improved access, quality and use of safe and appropriate medical devices in line with Primary Health Care Reform.

"The global initiative for health technologies" (GIHT), which includes the formulation of Health technology policies and management tools , and the selection of innovative technology, along with the Priority Medical Devices Project and the Baseline Survey, are the key strategies during 2009-2010.

Key initiatives

The global initiative for health technologies (GIHT)
The goal of the GIHT is to help make available the benefits of core technologies at an affordable price, particularly to communities in resource-limited settings, in order to effectively control important health problems.

Priority medical devices project
The priority medical device project aims to assess the availability and current use of medical devices. It seeks to identify gaps in the research agenda for medical devices.

Survey
The Baseline Country Survey on Medical Devices aims to provide a global reference on health technologies, particularly on medical devices policies, management, regulation and use. It will become the baseline information for further activities in implementing interventions to be developed by the World Health Organization in response to the member states requirements as defined in the Health Technologies Resolution, approved in 2007 (WHA60.29).

Ministries of Health will be invited by official letter to participate in the survey. A unique password included in the letter will enable Ministries of Health to log on to complete the survey online, following the link below. Baseline Country Survey
For questions related to the survey and its procedure please contact medicaldevices@who.int

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