Import Replacement
Issue No. 1 - July/August 2001
Sewing up R&D
Patricia Crook, chief executive of medical supplies manufacturer Dynek, believes medicine is too often written off as an inevitable ‘black hole’ of public expense, when the health industry has the potential to be a wealth generator for the State.
Ms Crook points out that the Australian health industry exports products and services worth $2 billion every year, and could do far better if Australian researchers were given the support they deserve.
Dynek, founded by Barry Crook in 1974 and based at Woodville North, is a high—tech SME marketing its product to Australia and niche markets overseas. The company manufactures a surprising total of 2000 surgical equipment products, specialising in cardiovascular procedures.
It goes without saying that quality control is strict. Dynek has a dedicated quality control manager, with microbiology qualifications, who oversees not only the mechanical quality of production but hygiene as well.
Ms Crook is an active member of Australian Health Industry Inc (AHII), a national body based in South Australia. The AHII is calling for closer cooperation between the medical community, medical manufacturers and product developers. Its members are keen investors in research, and AHII touts a ‘buy Australian’ import replacement drive to enable its members to do so more effectively.
Currently, that $2 billion medical export total is more than offset by the annual import bill for medical consumables (the AHII...
