How We’re Helping During the COVID-19 Pandemic

March 17, 2020 -- The courage of the doctors, nurses and care teams who are helping patients in the face of this global pandemic is inspirational.  As they work to heal the sick, Medtronic is doing its part to help. We continue to work hard to provide access to our life-saving medical technologies under these challenging circumstances. 

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the patients we serve, the healthcare professionals with whom we work, and on our employees, is ever-changing. Communities across the globe are experiencing COVID-19 in different ways, requiring unique and localised responses.

Today, as the spread of COVID-19 disrupts life around the world, our ventilators, respiratory filters, oxygenation machines and pulse oximeters are being used by healthcare professionals on the front lines of this fight. These and other critical medical technologies are helping to sustain life for those patients with severe respiratory illness brought on by the virus. At the same time, we’re seeing a decrease and delay in certain elective medical procedures in affected countries around the world.

We’ve taken steps to help address this global public health crisis and we will continue to do so by:

• Focussing on providing access to our products. We are in 150+ countries around the world – all with varying needs. Medtronic employees are in ongoing communication with healthcare providers, suppliers and governments to provide resources to the best of our ability. Our business continuity teams continue to ensure the safe manufacturing and delivery of life-saving products to patients around the world. We are working hard to deploy as many ventilators as possible to assist with the increasing needs of hospitals globally.  

• Supporting the needs of our healthcare partners. Our field employees, who work with customers in hospital settings, are collaborating with healthcare providers in new ways – such as video chat for technical support and training – to make every effort to reduce exposure. In situations where employees continue to work in clinical settings, such as supporting the installation of medical technology used to treat patients recovering from COVID-19, we are following the World Health Organisation, Centers for Disease Control and local hospital guidance to prioritise safety while helping doctors, nurses and care teams. We are also deploying remote monitoring solutions that will help limit exposure for patients, healthcare staff and Medtronic employees.

• Donating medical supplies and supporting non-government organisations (NGO). To date, Medtronic and the Medtronic Foundation have committed $1.2M to COVID-19 relief efforts across the globe, including product and monetary donations. The Medtronic Foundation is working closely with other nonprofits to help fund the health needs of communities through grant-making initiatives and will be announcing additional financial contributions as well as volunteerism efforts soon.

• Implementing employee remote work options and increased safety measures to help mitigate the spread of the virus. For employees who can work remotely, we’ve shifted to a global work-from-home approach. In other roles such as manufacturing and distribution, we have increased sterilization and cleaning measures, all while practicing social distancing and prescribed hygiene measures like regular handwashing.

• Offering resources and support for our employees. In addition to offering work-from-home programs, we are also providing other resources to support our employees around the world.

At Medtronic, we believe that medical technology contributes to human welfare by alleviating pain, restoring health and extending life. We are committed to making lifesaving products and our work must go on. We are focused now on keeping employees safe as we work to provide healthcare teams what they need to continue to treat patients around the world.