Medical technology and resilience: GHA and SPECTARIS send a clear signal
On March 11, 2026, the first in-person meeting of the joint working group on defense, civil protection, and disaster relief (AG VZK) of GHA and SPECTARIS took place in Berlin. The focus was the official adoption of our joint position paper, "The Contribution of Medical Technology to Strengthening the Resilience of Healthcare."
This paper succinctly summarizes what we as industry associations have been emphasizing for some time: healthcare is not merely a social policy issue. It is an essential component of national security. Since Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and the experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become clear that a resilient healthcare system is crucial for a state's ability to act in times of crisis. Medical technology plays a key role in this, not as a supplier, but as a strategic enabler.
The meeting provided the ideal setting for this message. Colonel Armin Schaus, from the German Armed Forces' Operational Command, placed the German Operations Plan as a cross-departmental task and emphasized that industry and the economy are integral components of overall defense. Colonel Dr. Ullrich Kindling, a pharmacist from the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw), discussed with the participants the impact of the new Planning and Procurement Acceleration Act on the medical service. German Red Cross President Hermann Gröhe stressed the importance of reliable partnerships between government, civil society, and industrial actors.
Our Position paper formulates concrete demands on politicians and legislators:
- A health security law that clarifies responsibilities, enables rapid transitions from normal operations to crisis mode, and finances reserves even outside the Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces).
- Accelerated procurement procedures also for civilian crisis situations, analogous to the reforms that the new Federal Armed Forces Procurement Act has brought about for the military sector.
- The early and systematic involvement of industry in planning processes, crisis teams and exercises
- Dual-use as a recognized guiding principle and funding criterion, so that investments in resilience are also economically viable in normal operation.
- The targeted expansion of digitalization and cyber resilience as critical infrastructure of the healthcare system
- Strengthening training and joint exercises, because technical resilience fails in an emergency without established procedures.
GHA and SPECTARIS see themselves as constructive partners of policymakers. The AG VZK is the format through which we bring this partnership to life. We welcome new members and interested parties.
The position paper is available at Whitepaper_Resilience_GHA_SPECTARIS.pdf ready for download.