The Trade Modernization Committee,
The activity report of the Trade Modernization Committee
The Trade Modernization Committee (hereinafter referred to as the T.M. Committee) acts also as a JIRA branch of the Japan Fair Trade Council of the Medical Devices Industry (JFTC-MDI). It is engaged in the PR and training activity to promote fair and orderly business activity among JIRA member firms. Specifically, the T.M. Committee collaborates with the Corporate Business Ethics Committee of Japan Federation of Medical Devices Associations (JFMDA) and the Headquarters of JFTC-MDI in order to establish sound commercial practices in medical equipment industries. At the same time, the T.M. Committee is engaged in the PR activity to establish sound commercial practices among JIRA member firms.
1. The activity in the current fiscal year (collaboration with external organizations)
(1) Activity/PR activity of each committee members dispatched from the T.M. Committee
- The T.M. Committee dispatches the committee members to the Corporate Business Ethics Committee of JFMDA. They encourage the member firms to comply with (a) the ethics codes, (b) the business practice charter, (c) the medical equipment industry promotion code, and (d) the Fair Competition Code for medical devices industry (FCC).
We designated the month of October 2010 as "the month for popularization of business ethics and promotion code." We produced posters for PR activity. The contents are built on the principle that companies should be responsible for business ethics and compliance. We asked the member firms to check the entire aspect of their business activity and to abide by the voluntary rules. On October 20, we had "the 6th training meeting for business ethics and promotion code." The lecturers encouraged the audience to abide by the four voluntary rules.
- JFTC-MDI encourages the member firms to do business by abiding by the FCC, popularizes the rule and promotes compliance with the rule.
The T.M. Committee dispatches the members to the Standing Steering Committee and the three Special Committees of JFTC-MDI.
(a) The Standing Steering Committee makes the final decision about the issues presented by the Special Committees. The decisions concern interpretation/implementation of the FCC, action against offenders, dispatch of lecturers to academic meetings and other external organizations.
(b) The main activities of the Special Committees in 2010
Guidance Review Committee:
To deliberate issues of the FCC violation application, the FCC consultation.To participate in activities to popularize the FCC.
Planning Public Relations Committee:
To popularize the FCC by holding "FCC instructor training" seminars for the employees of member firms at the JIRA site and other 14 sites.
To popularize the FCC for the medical professionals at 21 academic meetings.
To hold FCC seminars for the member firms at 12 sites nationwide.
On-site Technical Support Criteria Promotion Committee:
To popularize the on-site technical support criteria by dispatching lecturers to medical institutions and external organizations. About 10 organizations are scheduled.
To implement survey/action concerning on-site technical support criteria.
To participate in activity to popularize the FCC.
To deliberate interpretation of the code and criteria by forming a subcommittee, if needed (rule of training center, remote service, etc.)
2. The activities of the T.M. Committee
The T.M. Committee, according to the code of ethics of JIRA, encourages the member firms to do sound business practice based on the rules, and at the same time responds to the consultation and trouble from the member firms.
Our main activities are as follows:
- We popularize the FCC at the academic meetings related to JIRA.
We popularized the FCC at the International Technical Exhibition of Medical Imaging and displayed the panels for the four voluntary rules of the medical equipment industry. We popularized the FCC at three academic meetings (The Japanese Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Japanese Society of Nuclear Medicine, the Japanese Society of Radiological Technology, Autumn Scientific Congress).
- In order to inform the member firms of the achievement of JFTC-MDI, we held seminars in Tokyo and Osaka under the themes of "The result of the questionnaire about the on-site technical support criteria for medical institutions" and "The operation trial guideline."
- We invited a lecturer and held a seminar on "The Revised Antimonopoly Act" at the JIRA head office.
- When the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) holds "the meeting for better trade of medical equipment", we dispatch the committee member(s) as we did last year.
The members of this meeting come from medical institutions, medical equipment industries, academic research and MHLW. The meeting is a forum where they discuss problems of improper trade practice of medical equipment.
The scheduled themes are "The consignment stock at medical institutions", and "Problems after implementation of the on-site technical support criteria at medical institutions", etc.
- We provide JIRA member firms with consultation services on their business activities concerning the FCC.
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