Radiometer is focused on providing best-in-class solutions to support caregivers into the future. We speak to Moira Ellie Jimba, General Manager of South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, about the company’s fascinating history in the medical industry and discover the details of its present day excellence.
A LEGACY OF INNOVATION
Every day, nearly one million blood samples are tested globally using Radiometer equipment, equating to 10 samples a second, 600 a minute, and almost 40,000 an hour.
As a result, millions of lives are touched annually by the information that the company’s solutions provide, which is why Radiometer strives to be the very best.
“In our line of business, innovation doesn’t occur overnight. Creating impactful development requires uncompromising persistence and passion, which must be maintained for years,” introduces Moira Ellie Jimba, General Manager of South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa at Radiometer.
“We believe that breakthrough results are made by specialists rather than generalists. We are driven to push the boundaries of innovation to find new and improved solutions,” she continues.
Built on a proud legacy of innovation, Radiometer developed the world’s first commercially available blood gas analyser in 1954.
This groundbreaking discovery to support the diagnosis and treatment of polio patients was the basis for the company’s entry into medical technology and has forever transformed the healthcare industry, impacting countless lives.
However, the Radiometer story dates back even further to 1935, when the company was founded and originally set out to focus on electronic measuring instruments for the growing radio industry.
Fatefully though, when the polio epidemic swept across Europe in the early 1950s, Professor Poul Astrup and anesthesiologist Bjarne Ibsen discovered that Radiometer meters could be used to measure the pH value in blood.
Today, building on its carefully constructed legacy, Radiometer continues to advance acute care diagnostic solutions with dedication, clinical evidence, attention to detail, and heartfelt passion.
“We are immensely proud of our 70 years of innovation and partnerships and are equally excited about the future.”
Vital to the company’s legacy of success is its foundation of integrity, compliance, and sound governance, which Radiometer refers to as the foundational elements of its sustainability programme, underpinning the three pillars of the company – innovation, people, and the environment.
BECOMING INDUSTRY SPECIALISTS
Radiometer, a part of leading global life sciences and diagnostics innovator, Danaher Corporation, is a medical device company that provides acute care diagnostic solutions by working together with hospitals and healthcare professionals around the world to continuously improve the diagnostic experience and quality of patient care.
“To date, our products and solutions are used in hospitals, clinics, and laboratories in more than 120 countries worldwide. Our business model consists of devices, consumables, and the services we provide,” Ellie Jimba confirms.
Today, healthcare professionals use Radiometer’s blood gas analysers, immunoassay analysers, transcutaneous monitors, syringes, and its Connect & Care integrated digital solutions and services to care for patients in hospitals, clinics, and other acute care settings.
“Our promise is that whatever comes next, we make sure life comes first. We recently celebrated seven decades of excellence in the acute care diagnostics space and currently have approximately 4,000 associates worldwide,” she adds.
The company’s acute care diagnostics solutions are designed to improve workflows and are used daily in emergency departments, intensive care units, neonatal intensive care units, and laboratories across the globe.
By providing information on a broad number of parameters and biomarkers, healthcare professionals can use this crucial information to diagnose and treat patients in hospitals, clinics, and other acute care situations.
COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE GUARDIANS
The overall wellness of its people and the communities it serves is vitally important to Radiometer as a team and an organisation.
“We are extremely proud of our partnership with House of Paradise, which is based in Katlehong in the south of Johannesburg, South Africa,” Ellie Jimba enthuses.
The organisation’s main objective is to provide community service and support to orphans, widows, abused women, and those with chronic diseases, alongside rendering services like feeding the hungry, giving moral and mental education, providing support to rape and domestic violence victims, and protecting them from abuse, neglect, exploitation, and violence.
The joint initiatives within this partnership have also included delivering care packages to House of Paradise beneficiaries.
Additionally, Radiometer is extremely proud to have sponsored the construction of a further new classroom that enabled the organisation to accommodate more children in need within the community.
“We will continue to drive this initiative with future planned activities where help is most needed. The partnership speaks to how we actively live our company motto of whatever comes next, we make sure life comes first,” she impassions.
Elsewhere at Radiometer, its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is not just a goal but an integral part of the company’s mission to help caregivers save lives through diagnostic solutions.
“We recognise that to truly make a difference in global healthcare, we need to harness the power of diverse perspectives, experiences, and talents.”
While Radiometer shares a common identity as a blood specialist and a unified purpose of improving patient care, the company embraces the fact that individuals don’t all look, act, or think the same.
This diversity within a shared mindset fuels Radiometer’s breakthrough thinking and drives its ability to understand and serve a varied customer base worldwide.
CONTINUOUS ENHANCEMENT
Radiometer creates everything with its patients in mind, remaining focused on best-in-class solutions to support caregivers into the future.
“We aim to grow and develop an increased focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion across the globe in terms of talent attraction but also customers representation and, by extension, their patients,” Ellie Jimba divulges.
“Additionally, we‘re working towards becoming a sustainable business. This dedication has been further reinforced with a commitment to net zero greenhouse gas emission reduction targets by 2050.
“We are dedicated to minimising our impact on the environment. Through tangible goals and actions, we work to mitigate our impact while simultaneously keeping our associates safe and healthy,” she declares.
Furthermore, Radiometer is driving change in how it supports customers by giving them a superior experience, using digital tools and exploring the use of artificial intelligence (AI) across its entire portfolio.
To continue improving and delivering some of the world’s most advanced healthcare solutions, the company knows it must consistently learn and develop.
“We highly prioritise continuous improvement, not just in business, but also personal and professional development,” Ellie Jimba concludes.
