The seed for the National Consortium for Aids was quickly planted

The National Consortium for Aids (LCH) was set up in record time. Professionals from ministries, healthcare and the business community joined forces. FHI, the federation of technology branches, and specifically the Medical Technology branch, played a pioneering role in this. FHI chairman Willem van Raalte looks back with pride on the establishment of the LCH and the results achieved, but also sees lessons that we can learn from the corona crisis.

By: Dimitri Reijerman

In December 2019, the coronavirus was first discovered in the Chinese city of Wuhan. In the meantime, Covid-19 had spread like wildfire across the world since early 2020, with far-reaching consequences. In these first months of a new decade, according to FHI chairman Willem van Raalte, who also works as CEO at Da Vinci Laboratory Solutions, the alarm was already being raised within the Medical Technology sector. The seed for a National Consortium for Medical Devices was quickly planted. Then came the boom, when they started building hospitals in ten days. Then it became clear that it was a serious virus.”

Unrest in the market

There was a stir among the members in those first two months: “People were getting worried here, especially in the medical sector. From the Medical Technology sector there were already voices like: listen, if the coronavirus comes here, then we have a serious problem. Then there will be shortages.”

This problem was then reported to the Federation Board of FHI by Luc Knaven from Medical Technology. Van Raalte says: “We started to make an inventory. The problem scaled up and up, the urgency became increasingly clear. We sent that inventory to the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport on behalf of FHI Medical Technology. In this way, we were also involved in all consultations on this subject. In the second week of March, it was decided that this had to be arranged centrally, through far-reaching cooperation.”

But after this determination, a lot still had to be arranged before the LCH could start its work. For example, there were a few preconditions, says the FHI chairman: “The first question was, where can we house LCH? The idea was to do that in a quiet place, that would not stand out too much. The LCH wanted to operate in peace, because purchasing would be done centrally. So an organization had to be set up. That then took off enormously. The daily management of FHI had decided on March 20: you are welcome in our building in Leusden. Three days later, there were already 100 to 110 people active in the office: calling, emailing and setting up organizational structures.”

Production and development in our own country

In addition to central purchasing for the import of medical devices, particularly from Asia, much more happened within the LCH organisation: they looked at what Dutch entrepreneurs could produce and develop themselves. “A Production NL working group was also set up at that time, which I myself joined,” says Van Raalte. “This working group focused on the production of ventilators, coats and face masks. In short, all devices that are difficult to obtain. The aim is to become less dependent on foreign countries.” Issues in this regard include whether this can best be organised centrally or decentrally and what role the Dutch production of protective equipment can play in the creation of the 'iron stock' of protective equipment.

The Production NL working group has achieved results, says Van Raalte: “On the production side, at Demcon, five hundred ventilators have been ordered and approved. They are now being delivered. Delft University has developed its own device, the Air One. And last but not least: there are now three companies that produce face masks in our country. FFP2 masks, which can be used in the ICUs. And we are scaling that up to around 2 million units per week by mid-late May.”

With pride

The FHI chairman looks back on this first period with more than satisfaction: “I am incredibly proud of what has been achieved here and how we as FHI have positioned ourselves in this unique collaboration. We are incredibly proud that we can facilitate this and that we can think along. But I am especially proud of the fact that this shows what FHI is. FHI is the connecting factor in technology. Medical Technology is also part of that. It turns out that this connection extends so far into the chain that it not only plays an important role in terms of purchasing, but also in production.”

When asked which changes in the various technological sectors will remain after the corona crisis has passed, Van Raalte says: “We will soon do things differently. Politics plays a leading role in this, but the Medical Technology sector can also play an important role in this. The production of face masks are business models that we have acquired in our country due to the corona crisis. There are enormous opportunities for technological companies to bring this back here. And personally, I am convinced that we will soon be prepared to pay more if these products are produced here. I hope that will be the by-catch.”