Espicom's in-depth medical device market reports are ideal for executives wanting to understand the key drivers in medical markets and have access to a wealth of statistical data. Each report opens with an outlook section that provides analysis of the market, 5-year market forecasts, national data projections, market outlook and key developments such as regulation, health facilities and government policy. The report also provides extensive background information, population trends, health status, health expenditure, organisation & administration, hospital services, medical personnel, healthcare development, market access information, trade data and essential industry contacts. Included with the report are 3 free quarterly updated outlook reports, enabling you to keep up to date with market developments for a year. The Czech Republic was one of the larger and richer former Soviet countries to join the EU in May 2004. Its regulation and trade rules are now generally aligned to EU standards. It is well-located in central Europe and had an estimated population of 10.2 million in 2006.

Healthcare funding is largely public, through health insurance. Provision of care is largely public; the Czech Republic has yet to develop a substantial private sector. Private spending only accounts for around 11.8% of the total in 2007. The public system has always suffered from debt. Responsibility for hospitals was devolved to local governments in 2003. This has shifted the burden of hospital debt to local authorities. Some are planning privatisations, although this is politically controversial and likely to be stopped by the national government.

The country has a small but skilled manufacturing sector. Production is at the low to medium end of the technology scale, but is increasingly of good quality. EU membership has made the CE mark mandatory for local manufacturers. Local producers tend to concentrate on export markets. Two-thirds of the medical device market is supplied by imports. Germany and the USA were the leading suppliers in 2004, accounting for almost 50% of imports. The value of imports more than doubled in the five-year period between 2000 and 2004, to reach US$575.0 million.

Hospitals are not permitted to buy products directly from foreign companies and are therefore dependent upon dealers and distributors. High value items must go through a tender process. Payment of items can be a major problem, with hospitals having to wait for reimbursement from official funds before paying the distributor. The option to pay by instalments is generally preferred by hospitals, while factors such as product quality, guarantees and repair/maintenance agreements are also considered as very important by Czech end-users. For bulk supply products, the concept of just-in-time delivery direct to hospital departments has attracted strong interest.