Trade Ministry loosens proposed ban on state purchases of imported medical equipment
MOSCOW. July 29 (Interfax) - The Russian Industry and Trade Ministry has loosened the terms of a draft resolution that would bar foreign medical equipment manufacturers from bidding for state purchase contracts, the ministry said in a statement.
The revisions would allow foreign manufacturers to bid in tenders that otherwise have no bidders or only have one bidder from one of the Customs Union member countries (Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus).
The ministry had previously proposed banning state purchases of specific medical equipment and other products manufactured outside the Customs Union.
"Following exhaustive consultations, we decided to switch to restrictions rather than a ban that was proposed earlier. We will continue to press for the priority of domestically manufactured equipment in the purchases," Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov.
The draft was revised in order to maintain competition in the medical equipment market and to avoid difficulties in the state purchase tenders.
The restrictions apply to specific items of medical equipment for which competitive models are manufactured domestically and where sufficient competition exists, or where domestic capacity is sufficient meet nationwide healthcare demands.
The list of medical equipment and other products covered by the restrictions was also revised. Neonatal equipment and some X-ray technology were removed, while refrigeration equipment, EKG machines, diagnostic test systems, reagents and other consumables were added.
The medical equipment market had been dismayed by the initial draft of the resolution. The International Medical Devices Manufacturers Association (IMEDA) told Interfax that domestic manufacturers would not be able to meet demand, such as for neonatal intensive care incubators. In addition, the resolution might eliminate competition in the marketplace and lead to lower quality products.
