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SAMED holds a workshop to explain changes in sponsorship
On 26th of September, the SAMA Knowledge Management and Research Department attended SAMED’s workshop: “Sponsorship has not stopped”, held in Johannesburg.
SAMED is the South African Medical Technology Industry Association, to which a number of our local and multinational medical devices and technology companies belong.
The main message of the meeting: Sponsorship of healthcare providers to third party organised events has NOT been stopped. However the WAY in which funds are managed and the WAY in which HCPs are selected as attendees to third party organised events has changed.
SAMED has aligned itself with both their American and European counterparts when they agreed to stop allowing members to sponsor attendees to conferences.
As of January 1, 2018, no company may provide direct sponsorship to allow Healthcare Professionals (HCPs) to attend third party organised conferences.
Instead companies may support educational events through educational grants to an appropriate third party that supports the training and education of HCPs and must heed the criteria aligned with the Medical Device Code of Ethical Marketing and Business Practice.
SAMA is aware that this decision is causing some confusion as well as dissatisfaction amongst our medical doctors and affiliated societies, but we urge all our membership to consider that SAMED is aligning itself with international standards, which are primarily aimed at reducing the opportunity for perverse incentives to operate in the medical devices marketing space.
A detailed message from SAMED’s CEO, Tanya Vogt is attached below, and guidance document produced by SAMED to assist conference organisers and practitioners is available at: <Link>
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