Berlin/Germany. Anton J. Schmidt (50) was elected today as the new BVMed chairman of the board at the German Medical Technology Association’s annual members’ meeting in Berlin. Mr Schmidt is executive chairman of Ethicon GmbH in Hamburg, which consists of 15 business divisions within the Johnson & Johnson company, as well as director of Ethicon Products Deutschland. Stefan Widensohler (44), managing director of the KRAUTH group, and Andreas Rudolph, managing director of the HSC and HTMa homecare companies were appointed as deputy chairman of the BVMed board. The new board was elected for two years.

Former chairman Cornelia Groehl (Johnson & Johnson), a board member for six years and chairman for four, was not running for re-election, as she has been appointed president of Johnson & Johnson’s global “Oncology” division and has moved to the US.

Other elected BVMed board members are: Dr Friedhelm Bartels (Bristol Myers-Squibb GmbH Convatec), Dr Gerhard Braun (Karl Otto Braun KG), Carsten Clausen (Fresenius Kabi Deutschland GmbH), Andres Joehle (Coloplast GmbH), Dr Helmut Leuprecht (Lohmann & Rauscher Intern. GmbH & Co. KG), as well as Dr Martin Zuegel (B. Braun Melsungen AG). Furthermore, BVMed director general Joachim M. Schmitt is also a member of the board.

Leaving the BVMed board in addition to Cornelia Groehl are Klaus Moch (Ludwig Bertram GmbH, due to age), Juergen Bauschke (BSN Medical GmbH & Co. KG, due to age) and Dieter Buschmann (PAUL HARTMANN AG, due to international duties).

Professor Dr Bert Ruerup, chairman of the government commission for the sustainability of finances for the social insurance systems, and guest speaker at the BVMed annual members’ meeting, described “wages-based financing” as the greatest weakness of the German healthcare system. He said that over the last few years there has been no cost explosion, but rather a revenue problem. He described the Statutory Health Insurance system (SHI) modernisation law as “notably better than its image in public eye and media”. It contains a wide range of correct structural measures, he said. “However, far-reaching, competition-stimulating meas-ures would have been desirable,” Professor Ruerup added. Problems on the revenue side would continue, he said. “The important problems for long-term, sustainable finance lie in the revenue situation. This significant question must – just like the tax reform – be answered in the next legislative period.” Professor Ruerup believes that a positive climate for employment coupled with demographic resistance speak in favour of his “ flat-rate premium”.

Information for the media: Digital pictures of the conference can be downloaded on the internet at www.bvmed.de (Pictures – Events).

Picture Anton J. Schmidt at
http://www.bvmed.de/linebreak4/mod/netmedia_image/data/schmidt_anton.jpg

• Print page
• Download as PDF
•  
• Back to overview