The US-BASED owners of an award-winning healthcare firm have confirmed that up to 56 jobs are going in Chatham.

Cardinal Health, which acquired Micro Medical when it bought Viasys, also a US company, is trimming the workforce of the grown-in-Medway business by more than a half.

Just 40 people will be left in the impressive waterside building in Chatham Maritime.

Micro Medical was founded in Chatham and won the Medway Small Business of the Year Award in the 1990s.

It became one of the most successful winners of that prestigious award.

It then grew rapidly on the back of a successful range of medical equipment into a highly successful medium sized company with sales of around £8 million.

Its hand-held and desk-top devices that measured breathing in the diagnosis and monitoring asthma, bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease found worldwide popularity.

The latest job moves follow a restructuring exercise which has now been completed. A Cardinal spokesman said: “At present, we anticipate that there will be up to 56 job losses. Some people have already left, but the majority will leave towards the end of this year. The likely final staffing level is around 40 people.”

The job losses have come as a huge disappointment to Micro Medical founder Daniel Quirke.

After many years of successful growth, Mr Quirke and his senior colleagues decided to sell the business in 2005 to Viasys Healthcare for around £20m.

Full story in Friday's print edition of the Medway Messenger