Prohealth, a leader in the pharmaceutical and dermo-cosmetic market in Malta, has recently acquired TrioMed Ltd, a foremost local supplier of medical equipment & digital health technology representing international market leading brands including Philips Healthcare, Hologic, Linet and others.

WhosWho.mt has caught up with the men behind this acquisition, Prohealth CEO Peter Apap, Medical Devices Business Unit Manager at Prohealth Mark Bondin, and TrioMed’s outgoing Managing Director Alex Vella.

“For Prohealth, this was a logical step towards consolidating and growing our standing in the local medical equipment market, since TrioMed brings with it years of excellence in sales, installation and servicing of medical equipment and technology in Malta, that can range from Ultrasounds, AEDs and hospital beds, to ‘heavier’ stuff like X-Ray machines, CT Scanners, MRIs, and Diagnostic IT solutions,” says Prohealth co-founder and CEO Peter Apap.

Established by three pharmacists, John Jaccarini, Andrew Paris and Peter Apap in 1995, Prohealth quickly established itself as a foremost supplier of pharmaceuticals and dermo-cosmetics in pharmacies across Malta & Gozo, building strong brands such as La Roche-Posay, Vichy, KIN, Ursapharm, Rowex and more in the process. Just over six years ago, to diversify its portfolio yet still remaining focused on its core healthcare competence, the company entered the public and private medical devices and equipment market.

“TrioMed’s track record in providing all-encompassing sales and technical support expertise for world class brands such as Phillips Healthcare, means on-boarding a wealth of knowledge which will position Prohealth amongst the leaders in the sector," Peter notes.

“Naturally we are aware of the great responsibility that comes with the acquisition, that is to maintain the excellent service, TrioMed’s clients have been accustomed to for all these years. We are taking all steps needed, to provide the necessary peace of mind, and seamless continuity of service, so as not to impact their customer experience in anyway,” the CEO reassures.

TrioMed’s outgoing Managing Director Alex Vella, is quite the veteran in the field of sales, installation, and technical support for medical equipment and digital health technology. Indeed, he has been working in the field since 1980. Establishing TrioMed in 1995, together with his co-founders Ian Vella and Charles Cascun, he started servicing large-scale Phillips Healthcare machines, which previously required flying in foreign technicians for the job.

Similar low key yet strong business-trajectories meant that TrioMed and Prohealth gravitated towards each other, as the two companies provided complimentary services, in adjacent market segments and an unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction.

“We were always focused on selling the best medical equipment on the market, and providing excellent after sales service,” Alex explains. Furthermore, he adds, “as a lean company, we were very mindful of every step we took, as we made sure to exceed customer expectations, as our greatest priority. This meant that we were very careful with growth. With this move, we will now have the added proficiency, and strong functional backbone of a larger company, with departments such as logistics, finance, shipping and others, to ensure that potential growth does not compromise quality of service.”

A theatre nurse and manager by profession, with many years of commercial experience in the medical devices and equipment business, Mark Bondin is the Business Unit Manager of the Medical Devices Business Unit at Prohealth, which now has even more ambitious goals ahead.

“The added expertise and technical support brought over by TrioMed will certainly open numerous doors for us, as we plan to venture into new therapeutic areas,” Mark ascertains. “The integration of the teams in terms of work cultures but also making sure that skill sets complement each other perfectly has been a priority in order to ensure continuity.”

Asked about the responsibility they feel operating in the medical field and being tasked with overseeing the flawless operation of diagnostic technology that could determine the quality of life, or even survival of patients, he points out that Malta’s reality offers an added challenge to that in a large cityscape, due to the limited availability of more specialised medical equipment, which is inevitably proportional to the small number of hospitals on our islands .

“In order to ascertain this level of service, we make sure that our technical staff receive constant training, to provide the necessary servicing and preventive maintenance for all the medical equipment we are responsible for. Furthermore, we are also investing in more efficient management of our resources, to ensure sustainability in our everyday operation,” Mark reveals.

Operating under the TrioMed name, Prohealth’s Medical Devices Business Unit and TrioMed’s management, sales and service teams are being integrated into one single operational entity. Mark will be leading this consolidated and strengthened TrioMed team, with Alex taking responsibility for business development, and Ian and Charles busy upscaling the Technical Department. This new operational structure coupled with the greater resources of TrioMed as a Prohealth subsidiary, is envisaged to unlock new prospects and synergies, thereby further anchoring Prohealth as a leader in the local healthcare industry.