Medical Device Reimbursement in Asia
A brief introduction
Most of the Asian healthcare systems are just beginning to formalize their funding and reimbursement systems. However, few Asian markets like Japan already have a formal healthcare system in place with clearer rules and regulations for medical devices market access and their funding and reimbursement processes.
In most of the Asian countries government reimburses the medical products used in a public hospital or clinic while large share of medical expenses is still coming out of the pockets from the consumer. Nevertheless, for international players to be successful in the market it is crucial to obtain reimbursement approval from the government for their medical device, wherever applicable. While many Asian markets offer some level of reimbursement in public hospitals, level of their services remains a key issue for novel technologies. Public healthcare providers are generally not upto the international level and have a lot of bureaucracy in place compared to profit-driven private providers which are much more transparent. Although small in numbers, private segment offers a great potential in many markets such as India where a huge urban population (although a fraction of more than a billion) goes to private hospitals and pays out-of-pocket.
In general, reimbursement of medical products especially medical devices is only beginning to develop in majority of the Asian markets with a lot of promise for market opportunities and growth for foreign and domestic players.
Synergus offers consulting services in a wide range of Asian countries. To get a market overview for a specific country, please see the links on the right.