Bangladesh Medical Equipment Manufacturing Industry
Overview
While local production of medical devices and equipment is currently at a nascent stage and limited to lower risk products, there is a huge potential to extend local manufacturing of medical devices. In addition to domestic usage, local producers of devices and equipment can also explore the export market, benefiting from preferential access to as many as 52 countries for export.
Medical Equipment:
At present, over 4,000 medical devices and equipment are in use in the country, about 5-7% of which are manufactured in the country. Among the locally produced items, majority are consumables such as disposable/ precision safety syringes, needles, blood bags, blood transfusion set, cannula, blood collection tube, etc. Consumables have an estimated annual market size of USD 55-60 million in Bangladesh. Aside from consumables, Bangladesh also produces orthopedic products (bone-hook, drill machine, spine retractor), surgical sterilizers, hospital furniture, home care devices such as blood pressure/ glucose monitoring devices, compressor nebulizer, imaging film, electrocardiogram and other small instruments, albeit at a small scale.
The COVID outbreak has enhanced local production of personal protection equipment (PPE) including protective masks/ clothing, respirator, hospital gowns. According to USAID research, however, Bangladesh remains largely dependent on import for almost 85% of the demands of medical equipment in terms of value with import amounting to over USD 400 million in FY 2019-20. There is a huge demand for equipment related to diagnosis and treatment of cardio disease such as electrocardiograph (ECG) machine, stents, balloon, reflecting the rise of incidence in the country. While the medium price range ECG machine is assembled locally at a small scale, high-end machine along with other diagnostic devices like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), x-ray machine, ultrasonic scan, computed tomography (CT) scan is imported.
Locally Produced Items Are Being Exported :
locally produced items are being exported to various countries. Bangladesh with the production capacity and experience in readymade garments has been successfully repurposing to produce PPE by expanding or converting existing production facilities in response to the shortage as a result of the COVID pandemic.
The data available with the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) reveals that the current market size of medical device is estimated at around $442 million and it is flourishing at an annual growth rate of 14.6 per cent.
Bangladeshi medical sector has experienced annual growth rate of 14.6% between 2016-19, recording the fastest growth in the world, and is expected to sustain this growth (according to Business Monitor International Research).
Growth drivers
Advantages
Supportive government policies
- Dedicated Park for API factories to encourage production of API.
- Provision of export subsidy
Favorable trade policies
- WTO extended patent waiver from TRIPS till 2033 helping Bangladesh to produce patented drugs.
- Duty free access to 52 countries
Low cost of production
- Labor cost in Bangladesh is currently among the lowest in the world with production cost being 10 to 15% lower neighboring than India/China.
- Qualified human resources with expertise in manufacturing generic drugs
Consumables & surgical instruments:
The demand for consumable and surgical instruments such as disposable/ precision safety syringes, needles, catheters, suturing kits, scalpel, scissors, bandages/ dressing, gloves, masks, endotracheal tubes, other disposable items is expected to continue growing along with the growth in number of healthcare service providers.
Equipment required in ICU/OT:
With the number of healthcare institutions expected to continue growing, the demand for equipment used in intensive care unit and operation theatre such as diathermy machine, OT light/ table, ICU monitor, ventilator, suction, electrocardiograph, oxygen mask, etc. are expected to increase in the future. In addition, demand for hospital furniture is also expected to increase rapidly.
Diagnostic imaging and In-Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) devices:
Increased incidence of NCDs such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease is expected to rise in Bangladesh as diets and lifestyle of the population changes. This changing disease profiles will subsequently lead to increased demand for devices used for screening, diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of NCDs which includes diagnostic imaging equipment, testing kits and lab equipment, home monitoring devices used to monitor such disease, etc. For instance, with diabetes prevalent among 9% of the population (the World Bank Group, 2019), domestic demand for glucose monitor, diabetic strip, insulin-pen might increase. Foreign investors can consider contributing to the localized production of these devices.