FROM SINGLE USE TO CIRCULAR USE Increased attention from Governments, health services and industry evolving policy and regulatory frameworks
With
Jane Crowe, Vice President Asia Pacific
Cardinal Health
Neroli Manning
Managing Director, ANZ at Cardinal Health
Dan Vukelich, CEO and President,
Association of Medical Device Reprocessors (AMDR)
SEGMENT
Filmed in Sydney | September 2026
Healthcare sustainability is increasingly becoming a strategic priority, extending beyond environmental goals to influence procurement, regulation, costs and supply-chain resilience. Against this backdrop, medical device reprocessing is emerging as a potential pathway towards a more circular healthcare system.
In September 2026 at the RegConnect26 Summit, hosted by the Medical Technology Association of Australia, Dan Vukelich, President and CEO of the Association of Medical Device Reprocessors, outlined the international evolution of reprocessing, remanufacturing and refurbishment of single-use medical devices (SUDs).
Drawing on more than two decades of experience across the United States, Europe and other major healthcare markets, Vukelich explored how these models are increasingly influencing sustainability strategies, procurement policies and regulatory frameworks. Reprocessing can help reduce medical waste and emissions while improving resource efficiency and strengthening supply-chain resilience.
In an interview with Australian Health Journal, Vukelich was joined by Jane Crowe and Neroli Manning from Cardinal Health, a global medical device and healthcare company. The discussion examined the company’s experience in the United States and its plans to establish a remanufacturing facility in Newcastle.
Expected to open in 2027, the facility will be among the few in Australia capable of remanufacturing single-use medical devices, with products returned to circulation following quality testing and high-level disinfection processes.
Vukelich highlighted the need for greater regulatory clarity around cleaning validation, cycle limits and demonstrating that reprocessed devices meet medical device manufacturing standards. “These devices are as safe and as effective as original equipment,” he said.
The speakers also identified opportunities for Australia to develop green MedTech manufacturing capabilities and potentially expand sustainable healthcare solutions across the Asia-Pacific region.
– Media access credit: RegConnect 2026 Summit | Medical Technology Association of Australia (MTAA)
– PowerPoint slides supplied by Association of Medical Device Reprocessors (AMDR)
Source: Written by Australian Health Journal using AI
You Might also like
-
State of private healthcare in Australia
Australia’s healthcare system is often described as a mixed system, with a combination of public and private providers. While public healthcare through Medicare provides universal coverage for essential services, private healthcare offers additional options and amenities for those who can afford them.
Private Healthcare Australia (PHA) is the Australian private health insurance industry’s peak representative body that currently has 21registered health funds throughout Australia and collectively represents 98% of people covered by private health insurance. PHA member funds today provide healthcare benefits for over 14 million Australians.
-
Nuclear medicine funding a win for men with prostate cancer
Australian men with higher risk prostate cancer now have access to a nuclear medicine scan to help detect and treat metastatic disease, after it was listed on the Medical Benefits Schedule (MBS) from 1st July 2022.
In 2021 over 18,000 Australian men were diagnosed with prostate cancer, resulting in over 3,000 lives being lost – and making prostate cancer Australia’s second most common cause of cancer death in men.
Australian Health Journal spoke with AANMS President Associate Professor Sze Ting Lee and Dr Geoff Schembri on the MBS listing and the efforts to get it listed.
-
Challenge advances health technologies and medical devices in the MedTech sector
In July IDE Group launched the 2027 Building Better Futures for Health (BBFH) Challenge, a program supporting early-stage MedTech innovators move from concept to commercialisation. Delivered with Medical Technology Association of Australia’s (MTAA) MedTech Compass, the 2027 program marks 10 years of impact.
Now in its 11th year, BBFH supports researchers, clinicians, entrepreneurs and early-stage ventures tackling urgent healthcare needs. Selected teams will pitch to industry experts, gaining feedback to strengthen commercial potential.