Linde: a solid foundation for growth
The Healthcare business covers Linde’s medical gases, services, devices and care operations. Here, the Group continued on its steady growth path, with sales rising 4.2 percent to EUR 1.130bn (2009: EUR 1.084bn). Healthcare is a continuing global megatrend. Demographic shifts, improved diagnostic and therapy options – particularly for chronic ailments – and better patient access to these new forms of care are the main drivers in this fast-growing market.
Linde’s Healthcare business covers Hospital Care and Homecare. Hospital Care supplies hospitals with medical gases, services and related equipment, while Homecare concentrates on medical gases, services and devices for patients in settings other than hospitals.
Sales in the Hospital Care division rose by 4.7 percent to EUR 847m (2009: EUR 809m), allowing Linde to strengthen its position in key markets such as Asia and South America. The Group also reported several successes in Europe during the period under review. In Norway, for example, Linde has won tenders to supply state-run hospitals in five out of six regions.
In the Homecare division, sales were up 2.9 percent to EUR 283m (2009: EUR 275m). A substantial share of sales was generated by the REMEO® care programme for chronic ventilated patients. Linde continued to expand its offering here throughout the financial year, particularly in the major Homecare markets of Europe and the Americas. New REMEO® ventilation centres were opened in the US, Colombia and Germany.
