Worldwide healthcare market has a turnover of US$ 3 trillion

The worldwide healthcare market has grown an average of 5.5% a year since the beginning of the 21st century. In 2005, the chain reached a global number higher than US$ 3 trillion “and nothing indicates a reduction on this for the next couple of years”, highlights the entrepreneur Franco Pallamolla. Speaking during the opening ceremony of Hospitalar 2009, the President of ABIMO – Brazilian Association of the Medical-Dental Industry said that the joint revenue of the sector’s national companies grew 5% between 2007 and 2008, reaching around US$ 4 billion.

This expansion may be explained by the Brazilian economy growth (including the private sector of medical and hospital care); by the public health policies consistency (mainly the increasing investment in less assisted areas) and by the promotion of technological innovation, providing competitiveness among the companies that are currently capable of supplying 90% of a hospital’s demand.

“Nevertheless, the dependence on higher value raw materials continues very high. In 2008, the Brazilian trade balance deficit in the sector reached US$ 2 billion”, he informs.

Many challenges
The health market trends represent major challenges, as the increase in the population’s purchasing power, the expansion in private health insurances and in the medical and hospital public care lead to an increase in the usage of conventional technological materials. “In addition to that, it is worth mentioning the increase in population’s aging and the advance in high-complexity therapies. This will require, in a very short term, major investments in technological modernization, which are out of the league for national companies”, points out the President of ABIMO.

The entrepreneurs also expect a higher volume of Government purchases from national companies. Besides the need to raise the productivity level of the national industry, the Brazilian entrepreneurs face the gap between the increasing scientific production in Brazil and the bland innovation of business. “From 2007 to 2008, Brazil jumped from the 15th to the 13th position in the global scientific production ranking. However, between 2007 and 2008, we have receded in terms of access and use of information technologies and communications, which are indispensable materials for the vital innovation”, emphasizes Franco Pallamolla.