The Medical Device Market: Vietnam

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Medical Devices:

Espicom Business Intelligence
Management Report April 2007

Espicom’s in-depth medical device market reports are ideal for executives wanting to understand the key drivers in medical markets and have access to a wealth of statistical data. Each report opens with an outlook section that provides analysis of the market, 5-year market forecasts, national data projections, market outlook and key developments such as regulation, health facilities and government policy. The report also provides extensive background information, population trends, health status, health expenditure, organisation & administration, hospital services, medical personnel, healthcare development, market access information, trade data and essential industry contacts. Included with the report are 3 free quarterly updated outlook reports, enabling you to keep up to date with market developments for a year. Vietnam represents a potentially huge medical device market with a population of around 85 million. At the moment however, the country’s stock of medical equipment remains small and poorly utilised. Moreover, much of the country's healthcare infrastructure dates from colonial times and is in dire need of modernisation. The country's government has been keen to put funding into the improvement of the health sector. It has been renovating facilities and equipment throughout the country since the mid-1990s, and has current plans to continue this until 2010. The medical device market has experienced positive changes as a result of economic changes and more open government policies towards private sector participation. Though reforms remain cautious, the more open attitude to the rest of the world has made Vietnam much more accessible to overseas suppliers and this is reflected in a strong market growth rate, estimated at over 10% for 2007.

With very little in the way of domestic manufacturing, the country is reliant on imported medical equipment, much of which is too expensive to be purchased in large numbers, if at all. Around 80% of the medical device market is supplied by imports, and the sector is growing rapidly. Singapore and Japan are the leading suppliers, accounting for just over one third of imports in 2005. The value of exports is low, at US$39.8 million in 2005, with over three quarters of medical products exported to Japan.

An increasing number of joint-venture hospital projects have appeared since the rules regarding them were relaxed in 1997. In 2000, a trade agreement with the USA was finally signed, which should improve economic links between the two countries and has been reflected in rising device & equipment imports from the USA. With little domestic production, the high-end market is mainly dominated by Japanese, US and European products.

The country remains extremely poor, however. Economic reforms have slowed in the past few years, as the Communist Party has become increasingly worried about the erosion of its influence. GDP per capita remains similar to that in neighbouring Laos, Cambodia or rural China, but is many times lower than that in the rest of the region. Vietnam receives a large amount of international aid in the form of loans and donated medical equipment. Japan is the most prominent donor. A number of small projects are currently taking place in Vietnam, included those funded by the World Bank and the EU. The country became a WTO member in 2007..

Number of pages - 84

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