China had an annual growth rate of 15% to 18% in its sales of medical apparatus in the past ten years. In 2005, China's total sales of medical apparatus exceeded CNY73 billion. In 2006, the total profit of the entire China's medical machinery industry rose 30.5% year on year, a lot faster than the average growth rate of China's pharmaceutical industry. It is forecast that the total output value of China's medical apparatus industry will reach CNY150 billion in 2010.
Output Value of China Medical Apparatus Industry, 2005-2010
Source: ResearchInChina
Anesthesia apparatus is a high-tech product in China's medical apparatus industry over years. The Chinese government is vigorously restructuring its medical and health institutions and is putting forward more and stricter requirements on health development plan. Anesthesia apparatus is essential facilities for rescue and operation in the hospitals. China's homemade anesthesia apparatus has an advantage in price compared to others made in Europe and the United States of America.
Except imported equipment, the left market is shared equally by three to four domestic manufacturers. The prices of homemade anesthesia apparatus range from CNY30,000 to CNY100,000, while the lowest price of imported equipment is more than CNY100,000 and the highest price could exceed CNY400,000. Presently the key domestic manufacturers include such companies as Beijing Aerospace Changfeng Co., Ltd, Wuxi Zhongyuan Medical Apparatus Co., Ltd and Jiangsu Kaitai Medical Apparatus Co., Ltd etc.
China's current annual demand for anesthesia apparatus is about 5,000 sets, of which 3,000 sets are low-end products, provided mainly by domestic manufacturers, and 2,000 sets are middle or high-end products, of which 80 percent are sourced from overseas market. China's high-end anesthesia apparatuses market is almost monopolized by imports. The Price of each high-end anesthesia apparatuses range from CNY600, 000 to CNY1.5 million, therefore, China has to spend US$30 million in importing middle- and high-end anesthesia apparatus each year.
The 21st century is a rapid development period of global medical apparatus. With quickening pace of China's reform and opening up and sustained improvement in people's living standard and life quality, people have put forward higher requirements for medical and health services. Great progress China made in reforming its medical system is bound to boost the rapid growth of medical apparatus market, demonstrating that China has a huge medical market and great development potential.