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. In recent years, Lithuania has made a degree of economic progress, albeit hampered by political uncertainty and a series of weak governments. One key aim of successive governments has been to reorient the country's political and economic structure away from the former USSR, and towards Western Europe. The success of this policy is clear; Lithuania is one of the ten countries that joined the European Union in 2004.

The healthcare system is showing signs of improved efficiency, although the country has made scant progress in reducing its Soviet-level oversupply of beds. Lithuania does have a tradition of scientific expertise and well-trained medical staff, although the whole sector is in need of modernisation.

Funding for healthcare in Lithuania is principally through the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund. Compulsory insurance came into force in 1997, following a delay in its implementation. It should provide free basic treatment to the insured population, but unofficial payments still occur, to cover the cost of pharmaceuticals and staff wages. Private expenditure has increased in recent years and is equal to around one-third of total spending in 2007.

The Lithuanian medical equipment market is small and predominantly supplied by overseas manufacturers; around 66% of the medical device market is supplied by imports. Germany, the UK and the Netherlands were the leading suppliers in 2006, accounting for almost 40% of imports. The value of imports has increased every year since 2001, illustrating the medical device industry's recovery from the economic problems of 1999. The benefits of EU accession including the gradual improvement of the country's overall wealth should, in time, help boost the domestic market.