THE HAUGE, July 7 (Xinhua) -- The Dutch government announced on Monday that it will invest 102.5 million euros (117.2 million U.S. dollars) in the country's medical technology sector over the next decade, aiming to strengthen both the economy and the healthcare system.
According to a statement issued by the Ministries of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) and Economic Affairs and Climate (EZK), the public investment will be matched by at least an equal amount from private partners. Dutch health technology company Philips has already pledged to invest 50 million euros (57.2 million U.S. dollars) in the initiative. The company's investment will focus on advancing AI- and robotics-assisted image-guided therapies to help develop the operating room of the future.
The government's ambition extends beyond financial investment. It aims to create a unified national medical technology ecosystem that brings together start-ups, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), research institutions, technical universities, healthcare providers and large companies.
The statement added that the government's role is to establish the conditions needed to strengthen the entire ecosystem, including effective legislation and regulation, the implementation of healthcare innovations, and robust data infrastructure and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. ■