19-Jun-15 With the exception of Brazil, most countries in Latin America rely almost exclusively on imports of medical devices. Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Colombia together accounted for more than 75% of imported devices in 2014. Mexico is the largest importer of the region at over USD2.5 billion in 2014. [image: Global Health Intelligence]

18-May-15 Latin America is home to over 16,000 hospitals. Brazil has over 40% of the region’s establishments and has more institutions than the US. Meanwhile, Mexico is the world’s 7th largest hospital market with over 3,900 hospitals, 60% of which are private. [Image: Global Health Intelligence]

30-Mar-15 Latin American pharmacy chains are expanding both in terms of geography and breadth of services. In Chile, Colombia and Peru, over 75% of pharmacy retailing is controlled by 3 or 4 large players. As these markets consolidate, foreign giants are expected to take note and show interest in entering the region. [image: Global Health Intelligence]

20-Feb-15 Columbia has announced new price regulations for medical devices from Mar-15. Medicated coronary stents will be the first device to be affected, followed by cochlear implants, hearing aids and orthopedic devices. The move is expected to result in 36% reduction in prices and USD14 billion in annual savings for the national health system. [image: mashmedical]

Latin America’s lack of fiscal discipline is likely to prevent public health from addressing adequately the additional costs of an aging population. That paves the way for massive private sector growth in fields such as telemedicine, healthcare IT, medical devices and medical technologies, that help personalise medicine or improve the efficiency of doctors and other healthcare professionals. [Image: Global Health Intelligence]