Identifier | Created | Classification | Origin |
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05TEGUCIGALPA874 | 2005-04-26 15:36:00 | UNCLASSIFIED | Embassy Tegucigalpa |
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available. |
UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 000874 |
1. This cable is in response to reftel, which requested an update on the feasibility of exporting used medical equipment to Honduras. 2. According to the Honduran Customs and Tax Division, there are no quotas for the importation of remanufactured, rebuilt, and/or used medical equipment to Honduras. There are no tariffs on most imported medical devices considered to be capital goods, including used equipment. For consumable medical products, tariffs range from 0 to 15 percent. A Customs agent carries out the appraisals for remanufactured, rebuilt, and/or used medical devices, including reprocessed, single-use devices at the port of entry. (These appraisals are used to determine applicable sales taxes.) Used medical equipment and supplies are not subject to government certification, inspection, or regulation. 3. According to a major U.S. medical equipment supplier, Honduras is the number one importer of medical equipment in the Central American region, making it an important market for U.S. medical equipment exporters. One manufacturer has sold magnetic resonance equipment to private hospitals in San Pedro Sula, making Honduras one of the first countries in the Latin American region to import this kind of sophisticated technology in the health sector. 4. At present, public health institutions are only allowed to purchase medical equipment and supplies through public and international bids. However, these requests for bids typically solicit new equipment, rather than used. Bids are managed through UNDP (see www.undp.un.hn/licitaciones), with the funds for purchasing products often provided by the World Bank, Inter- American Bank for Development, or international donors. Each international funding organization specifies the bidding procedures and equipment specifications. 5. Due to a marked decrease in the availability of international development funds for medical equipment purchases, hospitals are beginning to secure medical equipment through a mechanism called "Por Dato." Under this system, a contract is signed, and the medical facility pays a fee based upon equipment usage. It is not considered a finance lease, as at the end of the contract period, the equipment is returned to a local provider. The medical facility has no intention of keeping the equipment. Any company providing equipment under this system must be registered as distributors/representatives in the Ministry of Industry and Commerce. 6. Approximately 30 percent of medical equipment imported into Honduras is used or re-conditioned. The main buyers of refurbished/used equipment are private hospitals. An increasing number of opportunities are opening to companies who supply parts and service for medical equipment. Even though the government doesn't purchase used equipment, it sometimes obtains this equipment from foreign countries and will, therefore, be in need of local technical service and parts. 7. The medical equipment brands of greatest demand in Honduras are General Electric, Storz, Medtronic, Ortosintese, Getinge Casde, Wlchallyn, and Aesculap. Among the best prospects are X- ray and monitoring equipment, hospital beds, wheelchairs, uniforms, lab coats, stethoscopes, liftman stethoscopes, thermometers, breast pumps, scissors, dental care equipment, digital blood pressure equipment, ophthalmoscopes, eye exam kits, examination gloves, heart rate monitoring equipment, X-ray view boxes, blood chemistry and collection equipment, sterilizing equipment, instrument cleaners, instrument lubricants, ultrasonic cleaners, rapid diagnostic test kits, surgery and intensive-care equipment, and disposable medical supplies. 8. For additional information on the market for used and refurbished medical equipment in Honduras, please contact Roy Alonzo at the Commercial Service Office in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, tel. (504) 238-5114, fax (504) 238-2888, Roy.Alonzo@mail.doc.gov. PIERCE |