http://www.marketreportsonline.com/Market Reports Online XML Feedhttp://www.marketreportsonline.com/149643-the-medical-devic.htmlRuled by China since 1997, Hong Kong acts as a hub for trade throughout the region, and especially as a conduit for trade in and out of the People&rsquo;s Republic of China, although this role has arguably lost some of its importance due to rapid business development on the mainland.As one of the richest parts of Asia, healthcare provision is of a high standard. The public health sector, modelled on the UK system, is strong, although attempts have been made by the government to promote the private sector to relieve pressure on services.Despite being small in size, Hong Kong has one of the largest markets in Asia. The Hong Kong market for medical equipment and supplies was estimated a...Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.marketreportsonline.com/53529-the-medical-devic.htmlThe UAE&rsquo;s economy is heavily dependent on the price of oil. Per capita GDP is very high, ranked among the top 20 in the world, and in 2011 is estimated at US$51,285. Real GDP growth of just 3.6% is expected for 2011, but this is projected to reach 6.2% in 2016.As a percentage of GDP, healthcare expenditure is low, but in per capita terms, spending is among the top 20 in the world. Overall health expenditure is estimated at US$8.7 billion in 2011, equal to 2.4% of GDP. Per capita spending is US$1,248.The federal government has plans to introduce a national health insurance scheme throughout the country over the next three years. This scheme has already started in Abu D...Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.marketreportsonline.com/53530-the-medical-devic.htmlThe UK has one of the largest medical device markets in the world, valued at US$8.9 billion in 2012. The domestic market vies with France as the second largest in Europe behind Germany. Per capita expenditure is equal to US$142. The UK market for medical devices is predicted to increase by 6.0% per annum to attain a value of US$11.9 billion by 2017.The growth of the UK medical device market is predominantly import-led as many domestic manufacturers are not able to rapidly adjust to changes in demand. This has led to a succession of trade deficits since 2001. A significant portion of the market, around 88% of the total, is made up of imports. These have started displaying growth again i...Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.marketreportsonline.com/53531-the-medical-devic.htmlUkraine is the second largest country in Europe and the 22nd largest in the world. The population is estimated at 44.9 million in 2012. Ukraine aspires to join the EU, but membership is unrealistic for the foreseeable future. Relations with Russia remain complex due to gas disputes and Ukraine&#39;s plans to strengthen ties with the EU.Ukraine experienced a severe recession in 2009, with GDP falling by 15%. The economy has slowly recovered since and growth of 2.0% is expected in 2012. The country&rsquo;s economic problems have been worsened by political in-fighting. The result of the 2010 presidential election was fiercely disputed, but the eventual winner was Victor Yanukovych, a form...Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.marketreportsonline.com/53532-the-medical-devic.htmlWith a population over 300 million, the USA is the third largest country in the world, behind China and India. The largest state is California, with a population of 37 million.At an estimated US$120.4 billion in 2012, the US medical device market is the world&#39;s largest. Per capita expenditure, at US$381, is the second highest in the world.Much of the market is in private hands; there is no single health system. Public healthcare systems, known as Medicaid, for those on low incomes, are operated by each State. Since 1960, the Medicare system has provided hospital care for the elderly; this has also provided prescription drug coverage since 2006.President Obam...Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.marketreportsonline.com/53533-the-medical-devic.htmlIn the short-term, Business Monitor International (BMI) believes that investor confidence in Venezuela&#39;s private sector will remain low following the re-election of President Hugo Ch&aacute;vez, adding pressure to reinforce political ties with allies such as China, Russia and Iran to secure investment. However, given the uncertainty surrounding Ch&aacute;vez&#39;s health, who is battling cancer, and the growing unity among the opposition, BMI believes that a regime change cannot be ruled out in the coming years.Venezuela&rsquo;s economy relies on petroleum prices, which can be unpredictable. According to BMI, real GDP growth is forecast at 4.7% in 2012, with GDP reaching US$393.1 b...Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.marketreportsonline.com/53534-the-medical-devic.htmlA new law was passed in November 2008, which took effect in October 2009, making health insurance compulsory for all citizens. The government hopes to achieve total coverage by 2014. Under the new law, there are three levels of benefits under health insurance schemes, the first level covers all or 100% of expenses at nominated medical facilities, while the other two levels will cover 95% and 80% of the expenses respectively with the patient making up the rest. In December 2012, the Ministry of Health and the Vietnam Social Insurance company announced that around 30 million people still did not have health insurance; the latest estimates show that around 65% of the population has medical cover.<br ...Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.marketreportsonline.com/53520-the-medical-devic.htmlSlovenia is one of the smallest countries in Europe, with a population of just over 2.0 million. It formed the most westerly and developed part of the former Yugoslavia. The country escaped almost unscathed from the destruction seen elsewhere due to the collapse of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. The current president is Danilo T&uuml;rk, elected for a five-year term in November 2007. Presidential elections will take place on 11th November 2012.The country remains the richest of the central and eastern European states, and in many ways more closely resembles Italy or Austria than its neighbours to the east. Slovenia joined the European Union in 2004 and adopted the euro in 2007. The eco...Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.marketreportsonline.com/53521-the-medical-devic.htmlSouth Africa is among the top 30 most populous countries in the world with an estimated population of 50.5 million in 2011. The population is relatively young and the dire AIDS situation is having a negative impact on population growth, despite the country having one of the highest birth rates in the world at around 24 live births per thousand population.The provision of health services is extremely patchy. The wealthier sections of society have access to highly advanced secondary and tertiary facilities, but the majority of the population has limited access to grossly inadequate services. Where facilities do exist they are often underused due to mismanagement and chronic staff shortag...Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.marketreportsonline.com/53522-the-medical-devic.htmlSouth Korea ranks as one of the world&rsquo;s leading economies, with a population approaching 50 million and overall GDP listed among the top 15 in the world. As a result, much of the population expects a high level of medical care.South Korea has the highest healthcare expenditure of all the &lsquo;Asian Tigers&rsquo;, with an estimated 59% funded by the public sector. Almost every citizen is covered by the country&rsquo;s public health insurance system. The government has been forced to implement cost-cutting measures in recent years, owing to a large deficit faced by the healthcare system. Healthcare costs continue to rise, with the country&rsquo;s rapidly aging population adding u...Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.marketreportsonline.com/53523-the-medical-devic.htmlGDP is the fourth largest in the eurozone, standing at US$1,382.7 billion in 2012. GDP is forecast to contract by 2.1% in 2012, compared to growth of 0.8% in 2011. Economic recovery is struggling, due to the eurozone debt crisis and the country&rsquo;s unaffordable borrowing costs. All components of GDP by expenditure are set to suffer given the pressures facing the housing, banking, fiscal and external sectors of the economy. The economy is expected to return to growth in 2014, with GDP forecast to reach US$1,540.2 billion by 2017, equal to US$31,953 per capita. The current economic crisis has had a direct effect on the health sector in terms of some quite severe spending cuts, as well as rising ...Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.marketreportsonline.com/53524-the-medical-devic.htmlThe medical device market in 2012 is estimated to be US$2.5 billion, equal to US$265 per capita, and equivalent to 5.0% of total health expenditure, 0.8% of the world market and 0.5% of Sweden&#39;s GDP. The market is expected to increase at a CAGR of 4.6% per annum over the forecast period, to be worth US$3.2 billion by 2017.Having recovered from a deep recession in 2009, the Swedish economy is once again stalling. BMI has revised its real GDP growth forecasts down to 1.2% in 2013 (from 2.0%), and to 2.6% in 2014 (from 3.8%).Sweden is faced with one of the largest elderly populations proportionally in the world. Healthcare provision remains a high government priority. Cons...Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.marketreportsonline.com/53525-the-medical-devic.htmlSwitzerland represents a very rich market. The medical equipment &amp; supplies market is estimated to be approximately US$3.5 billion in 2012. Per capita spending is the highest in the world by some margin at US$435.The Swiss market provides high quality products and has a reputation for innovation. Domestic manufacturing is very strong, particularly in the orthopaedics sector, where Switzerland is one of the world&rsquo;s leading exporters.Over the last fifteen years the Swiss medical technology sector has grown faster than almost any other sector in the country involving around 790 manufacturers and suppliers which employ 49,000 people. Government technology development ...Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.marketreportsonline.com/53526-the-medical-devic.htmlTaiwan is one of the richest countries in the Asia Pacific region. It has a strong healthcare system and the universal health insurance ensures that all citizens have grown to expect a high level of care. That said, like a lot of public welfare systems, the healthcare system is being constrained by rising costs, and a rapidly growing elderly population is adding to this.Health remains a contentious issue in Taiwan. In January 2013, the government introduced the Second Generation Health Insurance Programme, which was postponed from July 2012. Under this programme, insurance premiums were reduced slightly from 5.17% of income to 4.91%. However, an extra 2% premium will be levied on incom...Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.marketreportsonline.com/53527-the-medical-devic.htmlThe Thai medical device market has been undergoing a period of strong growth, and if fundamentals remain the same, the market looks set to expand at an attractive 12.3% per annum in the medium term.In 2012, the Thai market for medical equipment and supplies is estimated at US$1,071.3 million, equal to US$15.6 per capita. Overall market size is similar to Israel and Finland, while in per capita terms the market is more akin to Argentina and Colombia.Market growth is tied to the strength of the United States economy and the performance of the local currency against the dollar. After a period of slow recovery, imports surpassed the pre-late 90s economic crash for the first tim...Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.marketreportsonline.com/53528-the-medical-devic.htmlTurkey straddles the border of southeastern Europe and southwestern Asia and its neighbours are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Syria, the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. It is neither considered truly European nor Middle Eastern but is somewhere in between, although formal EU accession talks are now underway.As part of Turkey&#39;s bid to join the EU, national legislation regarding medical device regulation has been aligned with that of the EU, although that process is not yet complete and the two systems are not yet identical. As a result of this alignment, the regulatory environment in Turkey is far more complex and the processes much more comprehens...Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.marketreportsonline.com/53510-the-medical-devic.htmlPeru is often overlooked when discussing the rapid-growth economies of South America. While it has neither the size nor the wealth of Brazil or Argentina, the country has recorded strong economic growth in recent years, except in 2009, when economic growth was very modest, reflecting global economic issues. Between 2012 and 2017, GDP is expected to rise every year, reaching a projected US$286.5 billion in 2017. Per capita wealth has risen, especially in and around Lima. This has led to the emergence of a sizeable urban population which demands improved healthcare, and increasingly has the ability to pay for it. Per capita GDP is projected to rise from US$6,530 in 2012 to US$8,838 in 2017.Th...Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.marketreportsonline.com/53512-the-medical-devic.htmlThe Republic of Poland is bordered by Russia (Kaliningrad), Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It was one of the ten countries to join the EU in May 2004. The Polish population stands at 38.3 million in 2012. Around 14.1% of residents are aged 65 years or over.Funding for healthcare in Poland is principally through the health insurance system. The National Health Fund was established in 2003, replacing the 16 Regional Health Funds. The government is looking to change the structure of the NFZ in 2013. Financing remains a problem, although Poland has boosted spending levels since 2004. It now spends around 7.5% of GDP on healthcare. This still does not full...Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.marketreportsonline.com/53513-the-medical-devic.htmlBMI believes that the country&rsquo;s aggressive fiscal consolidation drive as part of its 78.0 billion euros (US$108.3 billion) IMF/EU bailout package will keep domestic demand under significant pressure in the coming years. The only positive contributor to economic growth will emanate from the net exports component of GDP by expenditure. BMI maintains its forecast that the Portuguese government will miss the Troika&rsquo;s fiscal deficit targets in 2012 and 2013. However, it also expects that the international lenders will ease the official bailout targets.The Portuguese medical device market is valued at US$909.6 million in 2012, with per capita spending of US$85. This is equal to 3.8% o...Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.marketreportsonline.com/53514-the-medical-devic.htmlRomania is located in south-eastern Europe, bordering Hungary, Ukraine, Moldova, Bulgaria and Serbia. In 2012, the population is estimated at 21.4 million, making it one of the most populous countries in the region. Romania became an EU member state in 2007.Healthcare funding in Romania is largely through the National Health Insurance Fund. Healthcare provision is predominantly managed by the state, although the private health sector is starting to grow. Government health expenditure is very low, even by Eastern European standards. Romania spends around 5.4% of GDP on healthcare.Improvements to the health system continue to be supported by World Bank-sponsored projects. The &lsquo;He...Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.marketreportsonline.com/53515-the-medical-devic.htmlThe Russian market is potentially huge, given its population and potential wealth of natural resources. Health expenditure remains low however, and patients are often forced to rely on out-of-pocket payments for treatment. A system of medical insurance is in place, but it is badly managed and the quality of treatment varies from region to region.The Russian healthcare system retains many of its Soviet-era characteristics, remaining bureaucratic and inefficient. However, the government&rsquo;s national Health project aims to improve healthcare standards. Since the project&rsquo;s implementation, numerous medical facilities have been upgraded and a substantial number of medical personnel have...Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.marketreportsonline.com/53516-the-medical-devic.htmlThe Ministry of Health (MoH) has allocated over SR7 billion (US$2 billion) for 67 health projects throughout the country as part of its fiscal 2012 budget. The MoH said the projects include the establishment of 12 new hospitals with a combined bed capacity of 3,100 beds, as well as a number of comprehensive medical clinics, oncology centres and specialised dental centres.In March 2012, the MoH launched a national campaign to tackle obesity and the overweight. Obesity in Arab countries has shot up in recent years, with women&#39;s obesity rates accelerating faster than men&#39;s. WHO data for 2008 showed that the percentage of the population who were obese in Saudi Arabia was 29% for males a...Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.marketreportsonline.com/53517-the-medical-devic.htmlThe Republic of Serbia is located in the south of Central Europe and has two &lsquo;autonomous&rsquo; provinces, Vojvodina in the north and Kosovo in the south. Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in February 2008. Many EU members supported this move, but Serbia refuses to do so.The Kosovo issue, and co-operation over alleged war criminals, clouds Serbia&rsquo;s potential membership of the EU, although the country was granted official candidate status in March 2012. The general consensus is that membership is unlikely before 2015.The health system in Serbia is funded primarily by the Republican Health Insurance Fund (HIF). In theory, the insurance scheme provides universal c...Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.marketreportsonline.com/53518-the-medical-devic.htmlSingapore announced the implementation of its first set of medical device regulations in November 2007, and starting August 2010, all medical devices need to be registered and all dealers (including importers and manufacturers) need to be licensed.The standard of living in Singapore is comparable to many developed Western nations and, with the exception of Japan, GDP per capita is the highest of all the Asian countries.A universal and affordable healthcare system is evident in Singapore. Both rates for doctors and hospital beds per thousand population are above global averages.The Singapore government provides considerable financial backing to the healthcare industry. Known fo...Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.marketreportsonline.com/53519-the-medical-devic.htmlThe Slovak Republic is geographically well-placed in central Europe, bordering the Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, Hungary and Austria. The capital is Bratislava. The population is estimated at 5.5 million in 2012 and is ageing at a steady rate, in common with other European countries. Slovakia joined the EU in May 2004 and adopted the euro as its currency in January 2009.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Funding for healthcare in Slovakia is principally through the health insurance system. The Slovak healthcare system is still very much in the public sector, although the majority of pharmacies and health spas are now privately-owned. Slovakia spends a relatively high proportion of GDP on healthcare...Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT