Insight Radiology
Imaging diagnostic market in Poland
Perspectives
Poland is one of the biggest healthcare markets and the most developed and technologically advanced countries in the Eastern European region. Public hospitals purchase their medical equipment through the competitive bidding process and private clinics prefer buying the most advanced modalities from any source they prefer. Equipment purchases and maintenance procedures at public hospitals are funded by the government or by medical foundations, which also raise money to purchase equipments for hospitals. Poland is amongst the world’s top 20 markets and is on the path of decentralisation. The country has a lower healthcare expenditure in terms of GDP as compared to Hungary. Hospitals and the government face an increasing pressure to curb healthcare expenditure.
The growing medical imaging modalities market can be attributed to the increasing number of procedures involving diagnostic imaging. The well-established and key modalities that form the major market sectors in Eastern Europe are: X-ray, ultrasound, CT and MRI.
Imaging diagnostic market in Hungary The country is currently shifting from the centralised system to a decentralised model by privatising healthcare facilities and encouraging private investment. Continued economic development and technological progress will fuel demand for improved and advanced medical imaging modalities, resulting in imaging diagnostics market growth. However, the Hungarian healthcare system is fraught with certain problems such as excessive number of doctors, lack of training to physicians, inadequate infrastructure and others.
The most common class of procedures performed are radiography, followed by ultrasound, CT and MRI. The transition from film to digital imaging and replacement of old radiography systems will remain the main drivers for the Xray systems market. Ultrasound market, being the most preferred modality and less prone to cyclical investment, is expected to show high growth especially in the private sector. New 4D ultrasound systems, laptop or hand held devices for point of care testing and improved contrast media will contribute to the growth of the market. CT scanning is one of the most promising areas in the medical diagnostics market in Eastern Europe as the old single and dual slice CT machines are anticipated to be replaced. Favourable reimbursement and better return on investment prospects have made healthcare institutions inclined towards opting for CT machines, thus providing the necessary impetus for market growth. MRI, the modality positioned highest in the value chain, is also expected to show high growth due to the burgeoning private sector. With an increasing number of MRI procedures and with eroding prices of MRI hardware, the market is expected to achieve high growth rates in the forecast period.
Will the imaging diagnostics market emerge out of the market slump? Major modality vendors are looking to expand into the emerging countries of Eastern Europe like Poland and Hungary. Government sponsored healthcare programs are now resorting to the outsourcing of imaging diagnostics to private imaging centres. Most public hospitals are looking towards private finance companies to enable them to invest in medical imaging modalities. As the utilisation rises and healthcare gets reformed, demand for high tech imaging will create a need for MRI scanners and CT. The future seems promising as the new technological developments take place and the nations see new reimbursements rates pertaining to imaging equipment from the start of 2010. A peek into the trends that would sell A steady increase in demand for quality medical imaging services is expected to boost the medical imaging market in the next decade. Technological integration or development of hybrid modalities like PET and MRI will help the diagnostics imaging market to combat competition and provide comprehensive diagnosis. Molecular imaging is one of the most exciting technological advances to come in imaging and it is the number one focus of most of the tier #1 vendors. Incorporating PACS to store data (3D and 4D images) obtained from the imaging modalities will pave way for another trend in the imaging diagnostics market. Innovations like higher resolution and digitisation initiatives are spurring growth in the imaging diagnostics market in Poland and Hungary. Global medical imaging vendors are now also opting for strategies such as leasing, product life cycle management services, rental and financing options to boost revenues and maintain sustainability. Also, a lot of their growth strategies are focused towards post sales servicing, support and innovative consulting services for hospitals. Recommendations for modality vendors • Vendors with financing capabilities are likely to attract end users and have a better scope in the Eastern European market. GE Healthcare is one of the companies to set up its own financing wing, making it easy for healthcare organisations to acquire high-end modalities like MRI. • Tie up with local distributors to broaden the company’s product portfolio. The Eastern European market, being an extremely price sensitive market, demands low-priced equipment. In order to facilitate high penetration, brand building and make end users receptive towards high-end products, low priced-vendors will allow major participants to reinforce their market presence. Tying up with local participants will help major vendors to extend towards the low-end spectrum and fill any gap in a company’s product portfolio. 52
Infomedix 2 / 2010