Singapore: Global medical technology company, Medtronic, has opened a new Asia Pacific regional headquarters in Singapore, housing Asia Pacific Service and Repair Centre of Excellence.

The investment is to strengthen and support Medtronic operations across 80 locations in Asia Pacific and to help the company deliver on the growing demand for medical products and services.

Medtronic International has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with SingHealth to develop a Centre of Excellence in the treatment of diabetes across Southeast Asia.

"The opening of Medtronic regional headquarters in Singapore marks an important milestone in our growing presence in Asia Pacific. We continue to leverage our regional expertise and partnerships to reach more patients, in more places and through more ways via collaborating with new partners," said Mr Bob White, president, Asia Pacific at Medtronic.

"The rising prevalence of diabetes in the region is driving up healthcare costs and adversely impacting the lives of millions of people. There is tremendous opportunity to improve treatments across the diabetes care continuum via meaningful innovation and collaboration. We are excited to work with SingHealth as our strategic partner to explore new approaches in solving challenges associated with diabetes care."

The alliance will pair Medtronic expertise in advanced diabetes management solutions with SingHealth's experience in holistic diabetes care in order to:
• Establish a Center of Excellence on diabetes to advance treatment and care management in the region
• Enhance patient education and access to innovative technology for diabetes management
• Deepen regional education and trainings for physicians on the latest technology to manage diabetes
• Become a leader in facilitating adoption of new technologies that improve patient outcomes
• Lead new initiatives and collaborations to transform diabetes care delivery and management

"There is an urgent need to tackle the diabetes challenge globally to reduce the burden of the disease. This will require active collaboration between different stakeholders to address the needs of our patients. We see this partnership with Medtronic as an exciting way forward in bringing better diabetes care to our patients, particularly through the adoption of innovative technology," said Dr. Bee Yong Mong, head, SingHealth Duke-NUS Diabetes Centre and senior consultant, Department of Endocrinology, Singapore General Hospital.

"Some of today's most pertinent healthcare challenges such as rising healthcare costs and a rapidly ageing population call for new approaches and models. With its sizeable presence in Singapore, we welcome Medtronic's contributions in this multistakeholder effort to transform healthcare," said Ms. Thien Kwee Eng, assistant managing director, Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB). "We believe this will set a strong precedent for industry to participate actively in co-creating new healthcare solutions out of Singapore, which will benefit healthcare in Singapore and the region."
Medtronic is focused on delivering therapy innovation via new products, services and solutions, driving global access to improve standards of care, and creating economic value in healthcare systems to reduce costs. The growing presence of Medtronic in Asia Pacific demonstrates its strong commitment to transform healthcare through strategic partnerships.