Once again in 2019, Messer expanded its existing product portfolio of medicinal gases and applied for new marketing authorizations for medicinal products. To that end, Messer’s own operating facilities are being qualified accordingly and the products are being independently authorized. The completion of the GMP work and the submission of the medicinal product dossiers for the first products will be completed by the end of 2020. Moreover, Messer continued to intensify its marketing of medicinal gases in 2019, especially for gases used in the treatment of heart disease or respiratory / pulmonary diseases, whereby significant further growth is also expected in 2020. In 2019, Messer continued its successful development as a complete service provider, thereby further increasing sales. Lastly, Messer maintained its existing Certificates of Conformity for medical devices in 2019 and expanded its portfolio of medline and pharmline products.

In the Province of Tarragona, the Spanish foundation “Fundació La Muntanyeta” supports people with cerebral palsy, in order to defend their rights and improve their quality of life. More than 100 people receive care in a school, a day care center and a dormitory. In 2019, Messer actively supported the construction of a day care center and additional dormitory rooms and provided a vacuum system and medical oxygen supply for all rooms. People with cerebral palsy often suffer from respiratory trouble. According to a concept from Messer, the supply system makes it possible to provide the healthcare in the room that the affected person occupies. They can remain in their own private space, and therefore in a comfortable environment, when they need medical assistance.

The gases business of Messer in Colombia provides our customers the full breadth of medicinal gas solutions as well as specific offerings for the healthcare segment. In Colombia, Messer is the market leader for stationary and home care, supplies hospitals with medicinal gases and helps them develop their gas supply systems. Although the systems generally run only as far as the hospital rooms or operating rooms, in Colombia the supply is designed for the patients themselves. Along with the permanently installed infrastructure, Messer also supplies inhalers and ventilators as well as other accessories needed for the supply of medicinal gases or breathing air to individual patients. In so doing, Messer supports more than 36,000 people at home, who rely on additional oxygen to breath. In addition to gas in cylinders, most of them receive oxygen concentrators that filter oxygen from the surrounding air. Within the framework of its REMEO program, Messer also maintains six clinics of its own for some 350 people whose severe chronic respiratory diseases require continuous care. These facilities offer state-of-the-art care in a friendly, homelike environment. At the same time, this specialized form of care is less expensive for the health insurance system than conventional treatment in a hospital. Furthermore, the REMEO clinics house sleep laboratories for the treatment of nighttime respiratory disorders. In all, Messer employs some 1,200 nurses and caregivers in Colombia, who are specially trained and can develop their expertise considerably through their work with REMEO.

Health is about more than just medicine – a positive work environment is also important for one’s well-being. For that reason, Messer in the Czech Republic is furnishing its headquarters in Prague with a new break area that includes a kitchen, a rest zone and two telephone rooms. And the offices of the Czech joint venture MG Odra Gas in Ostrava-Vratimov have also  been renovated and equipped with sport areas. With these investments, Messer in the Czech Republic is creating the right conditions for a satisfying, healthy workplace – and therefore also for a motivated, effective team.

Through its company health insurance fund, Messer Hungarogáz offers its employees the full range of private medical services. The high-quality healthcare services of Medicover are available to the employees in all medical areas, including examinations, state-of-the-art diagnostics, and hospital care. The agreement is supplemented by the full spectrum of emergency services throughout the capital city of Budapest. In this way, even in an emergency, employees and their families have ready access to high-quality medical services without waiting periods.

Messer-Gesellschaften engagieren sich vielfältig im Rahmen von Sportveranstaltungen, die der Förderung von Gesundheit, Selbstvertrauen und gesellschaftlichem Zusammenhalt dienen. Außerdem unterstützt Messer regelmäßig Organisationen, die im Dienst von Gesundheit und medizinischer Betreuung stehen, mit Spenden. Für das Jahr 2019 stehen beispielhaft folgende Projekte:

Messer companies are committed to a wide range of sporting events that promote health, self-confidence and social cohesion. Moreover, Messer provides regular support in the form of donations to organizations that promote health and medical care. The following projects, for example, are scheduled in 2019:

Once again, this past year, Messer companies in Germany donated some 5,500 euros – profit from the sale of food, beverages and stainless-steel art – to the association “Hilfe für krebskranke Kinder Frankfurt e.V.” (“Frankfurt Helps Children with Cancer”). November 2019 marked already the fifth time that Messer has organized a Christmas market on Messer Square at the corporate headquarters.

In 2019, Messer started supporting the “Montbike Messer Kids” mountain bike club, where girls and boys from 5 to 14 years of age practice. They already have competed in mountain bike and cross-country races in Catalonia and other regions of Spain as well as in international competitions in France and Belgium. Three club members are already classified as Catalonian champions.

For many years now, Messer in Switzerland has been supporting the association PluSport Behindertensport Schweiz. That commitment to the promotion of disabled sports in Switzerland was recognized once again in 2019.