Who we are

Alongside health practitioners and pharmaceuticals, medical technology (medtech) forms the basis of quality healthcare. The South African Medical Technology Industry Association (SAMED) was founded in 1985 and is committed to advancing patient care through medtech.

We work together with our members to build collective, objective and credible platforms to share knowledge and engage with stakeholders, and we support our members in growing a sustainable and ethical medtech industry that enhances patient access to innovative solutions.

Through our various committees we promote the interests, knowledge and expertise of our members, increase the visibility, credibility and standing of the medtech industry, advocate to inform policy and improve market access. We hold regular events, training courses and pursue collaborations to share market trends, stimulate best practice and work towards regulatory and industry harmonisation.

SAMED regards transformation as an economic and social imperative. We are committed to transformation and believe we can drive meaningful and sustainable change as an industry body. We strive to create an eco-system that gives our members tools to enable them to transform their companies. We call on our members and partners to participate in our transformation journey.

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SAMED works with various local and international agencies and platforms to build a strong medical technology sector.

Our industry is diverse, dynamic and innovative. It employs more than 10 000 people and encompasses more than 500 000 medical technologies used in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and amelioration of disease and disability. Our members are companies, individuals and associations – local and multinational – who are involved in the research, manufacture, distribution and wholesale of medical technologies in South Africa. Together we offer a unifying vision of patient-centric care that is supported and advanced through medtech.

Our vision

Partnering with our stakeholders to drive the Medical Technology industry to new frontiers, and contribute towards enabling a sustainable healthcare system.

Our mission

SAMED is committed to enabling a sustainable, ethical and transformed medical technology industry that ensures patient access to medical technologies.

Our strategy is informed by our values

Stakeholders look to work with organisations with strong reputational capital. These seven values come together at an organisational level to create SAMED’s reputational value.

TRUST
Trust is at the heart of successful relationships. It is the glue that binds industry parties, so they spend less time protecting themselves and more time on collaboration. Trust is the natural result of a myriad thoughts, intentions, words and actions.

UNITY
SAMED is the voice of the medtech industry. We use a united voice to address common matters. Our industry has a far greater reach and impact when our representatives, individual members companies and their individual employees speak with the same united voice.

TRANSPARENCY
Being transparent is a core strength that speaks to one’s authenticity and confidence. Sharing ideas and information allows industries to get new and often deeper perspectives, opinions, and ideas. Problems are solved faster and more efficiently if one is open and honest. Transparency builds trust, fosters shared accountability and raises ethical standards.

INTEGRITY
Integrity is acting with honour regardless of whether actions are public – and honouring your commitments. It’s about nurturing an ethical culture that permeates the entire organisational ecosystem. Having integrity leads to smarter, more sustainable decisions and practices.

INCLUSIVITY
Inclusivity and diversity go hand-in-hand to allow for meaningful opportunities for all stakeholders to contribute to our industry. Inclusivity entails involvement of diverse companies and distinct people to share their abilities and experiences. Inclusivity boosts efforts with greater innovation, skills and creativity.

STEWARDSHIP
Stewardship refers to the responsibility to understand and manage the impact SAMED has on our members and their operational environment. Our role is to uphold the best interests of our members and the broader medtech sector. We are custodians of our members concerns, guardians of their sustainability and curators of their growth.

RESPECT
Respect is about showing humility and being sensitive. Being treated respectfully promotes a collaborative culture which motivates engagement, support, and performance, making it easier to achieve common goals. Respect requires introspection – thinking about how our word or actions affect our environment and the reputation of others. A lack of respect undermines the value all parties bring to the table and can erode the health and success of the relationship.

Our Strategic Pillars

SAMED strives to safeguard, promote and represent the common interests of members with all relevant authorities and stakeholders

SAMED drives compliance to ethical principles and practices in the conduct of member’s businesses and affairs

SAMED promotes access to medtech for better patient outcomes

SAMED shapes best practice in standards, policies and regulatory requirements applicable to the medtech industry

SAMED supports medtech growth for healthcare sustainability

Our strategic purpose is underpinned by the need for sustainable economic and social transformation – to encourage a more diverse and inclusive medtech sector.

Access the SAMED Strategy

Our Annual Report

Each year we release a comprehensive report on our activities over the course of that year, which describes the way in which we work to create and sustain value for our members and industry stakeholders. Our annual report also highlights priority focus areas and developments with significant impact on the sector.

Access our latest annual report