‘If we are serious about the health of Australia, we need to shake it up,’ says VP of Edwards Lifesciences

In an exclusive interview for the Reimagining Healthcare senior leadership series, Pat Williams, Vice President of Edwards Lifesciences ANZ and Korea, tackles the medtech industry’s evolving role in driving social impact and meeting the needs of underserved communities over the next 10 to 15 years.

Drawing inspiration from John F. Kennedy’s 1962 “We choose to go to the Moon” speech, Williams challenged the healthcare sector to adopt a similarly bold and visionary mindset.

“We have a lot of work to do to reach all these groups [so that] every single person has access to the latest and greatest innovation to return them to health. We are wasting a load of money on programmes which are not even remotely connected to improving the health of Australia,” he emphasised.

Reflecting on the enduring words of Dr Paul Farmer, a renowned clinician and anthropologist, the conversation delved into the root causes of health inequities. Williams shared his perspective on dismantling systemic barriers and disrupting conventional thinking to achieve lasting change.

“This is government policy related and it’s on both sides of government,” he said. “In 30 years of being in the industry, [the election cycle] is like groundhog day…I haven’t seen quantum leaps for the health of Australia.

“If we are serious about the health of Australia, we need to shake it up.”

As Australians report waning trust in both governments and mainstream media, Williams weighed in on the medtech sector’s responsibility to bridge the growing trust gap and rebuild connections with underserved communities.

“The most expensive thing to have is a closed mind. We have a great opportunity to change things and to do things differently…otherwise we will be stuck here having the same conversations in 10 years,” he remarked.

The discussion concluded with Williams outlining the key actions essential in the short-term to lead us towards the reimagined future of health equity and social impact he described at the start of the interview.

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