Restoring Human Dignity: Some Reflections on the Right to Repair & Medical Devices and Assistive Technologies

Abstract

The Right to Repair movement, defined broadly as the ability to have products repaired at a competitive price using repairers of choice, gained even more support from the community during the COVID-19 pandemic as hospitals worldwide reported issues with the ongoing maintenance of crucial medical equipment. The ability to keep lifesaving medical equipment operational is not only relevant in hospital settings but is fundamentally important for those individuals in our community, particularly those in remote regions of Australia, who need to rely upon medical devices in their day-to-day lives. This article examines these complex issues in light of the findings of the Australian Productivity Commission’s Right to Repair inquiry that barriers currently do exist to medical device repair and that a review be conducted of the medical device market and current regulations.