Your browser is out of date

With an updated browser, you will have a better Medtronic website experience. Update my browser now.

COVID-19

Mission as a blueprint

In times of disbelief, that’s when beliefs matter most.

So much has changed in our world since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic. We understand how the virus spreads. We’ve mastered working in new ways – from changes in supply chains and manufacturing, to how healthcare is delivered, to working from home. We have vaccines, at-home testing, and antiviral treatments. We’re exhausted but also hopeful. Because if there’s one thing we learned during the pandemic it’s that collaboration, determination, and innovation will continue to drive better outcomes for our world.

14/05/20200 Medtronic PPE wearing Staff Photo:Andrew Downes

Supply, demand, and the coronavirus

As hospitals flooded with critically ill patients during the early days of the pandemic, it quickly became clear that the global supply of ventilators would not meet the time-sensitive demand. With patient access in jeopardy, we responded by increasing production. Our facility in Galway, Ireland, introduced 24/7 operations and, over several months, we increased ventilator manufacturing fivefold. We fortified our supply chain, brought in new partners, and trained new employees. Then we took the unprecedented step of publicly sharing the design specifications for one of our low-cost ventilators so that others could make these life-saving devices.

Today, our ventilators still mean the difference between life and death in COVID-19 hot spots around the world. As we’ve done time and time again, we turn to our Mission – to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life – as a blueprint for how to contribute to the world. Because of this, our employees remain committed and empowered to put people first to ensure these critical devices are manufactured, installed and working properly wherever they are needed.

Preparing for the next pandemic

Applying the lessons we learned from the crisis, we fortified our supply chain to withstand future tests because we know that the best way to prepare for tomorrow is by acting today. It’s why Medtronic provides funding to support pandemic preparedness research conducted by the National University of Ireland (NUI) in Galway. The research includes assessing the ventilator supply chain and how to improve supply chain resilience, along with improving the skills of nursing and healthcare staff who assist with mechanical ventilation.

Geoff Martha visits a Medtronic manufacturing site in Galway where he announced new funding to support pandemic preparedness research at the National University of Ireland, Galway.

Partnerships with purpose

Though separated by distance, the world came together to fight the coronavirus. We reached out to collaborators and competitors alike to help support hospitals and healthcare workers. To meet the surging global demand for ventilators, we accepted the help of companies like Space Exploration Corporation (SpaceX), Elon Musk’s California-based company that manufactures and operates the world’s most advanced rockets and spacecraft. By temporarily producing a critical ventilator valve, SpaceX assisted Medtronic in strengthening our stockpile. We also transformed the way these devices operated to help protect the brave healthcare workers using them. By working with Intel, for example, we expedited efforts to develop remote operation capabilities for our most advanced ventilators.

We know COVID-19 is not the last pandemic our world will endure. So Medtronic and our public sector partners are working to accelerate technology innovation and democratize healthcare for the benefit of everyone. At the Business 20 (B20) Global Summit in Rome, Medtronic Chairman and CEO Geoff Martha encouraged world leaders to invest in global healthcare. As the COVID-19 pandemic taught us, we can serve the world better and faster when we work together.

Delivering ventilators to patients in India

All viruses mutate over time. And the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 wasted no time before it mutated into the highly transmissible Delta variant, first discovered in India in late 2020. To combat the deadly outbreak, Medtronic joined a global coalition focused on supplying ventilators to hard-hit cities in India. Our employees went into COVID-19 hot spots to deliver, install, and service these life-saving devices.

It really comes back to our people and their commitment to do the right thing. Their resiliency, their resourcefulness, and their passion to deliver our life-saving equipment (to the people who need it most) is just absolutely amazing.”

–Bob White, EVP & President Medical Surgical Portfolio, Medtronic

Remotely, together

Before the coronavirus, hospital systems and health insurance companies were slow to adopt telehealth solutions. But in just a few short weeks, it became the new norm. We quickly adapted our home-based remote monitoring platforms — typically used to manage those with chronic conditions — so healthcare professionals could remotely assess, monitor, and triage patients experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. This helped keep at-risk patients safe at home and tempered demand on the healthcare system. At the same time, patients with chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease were quickly transitioned to telehealth visits. Patients could then be monitored through their medical devices from the safety of their homes.

We provide health, and we provide hope. People are depending on us, and we cannot let them down. We must continue to innovate and fulfill our Mission.”

–Geoff Martha, Chairman and CEO, Medtronic

Committed to engineering the extraordinary

As each week passes, we continue to learn how to live with COVID-19. The initial shock of a global shutdown has given way to global concerns surrounding vaccine equity, healthcare worker fatigue, and the discovery of more transmissible COVID-19 variants. In some areas of the world, the virus continues to overwhelm health systems, while in other areas hospitals have resumed elective procedures with enhanced safety measures in place. As the world continues to grapple with COVID-19, we will continue to be guided by our Mission, looking for opportunities to deliver the extraordinary, no matter the circumstances.

Mission as a blueprint

In times of disbelief, that’s when beliefs matter most.

Supply, demand, and the coronavirus

Preparing for the next pandemic

Partnerships with purpose

Delivering ventilators to patients in India

It really comes back to our people and their commitment to do the right thing. Their resiliency, their resourcefulness, and their passion to deliver our life-saving equipment (to the people who need it most) is just absolutely amazing.”

Remotely, together

We provide health, and we provide hope. People are depending on us, and we cannot let them down. We must continue to innovate and fulfill our Mission.”

Committed to engineering the extraordinary

Driving remote care

Mission as a blueprint

Supporting healthcare systems