Alexandre Rocha*
São Paulo – The 13th edition of Hospitalar, a medical product fair that begins on June 20th, in São Paulo, southeastern Brazil, is going to receive 15 companies from Egypt after importers for their products. They are going to offer varied items, like orthopaedic equipment, equipment for cardiology, urology, dialysis, image diagnosis and first aid, syringes, catheters, surgical equipment, pharmaceutical products, physiotherapy products and chemicals for laboratory tests.
"The industry is very advanced in Egypt and has been developing fast. It currently exports to neighbouring countries, to Europe and to Asia," said to ANBA the commercial consul of Egypt in São Paulo, Mohamed Bakri Agami. The participation of the Arab country in the fair will be sponsored by the Egyptian Exporters Association (Expolink) and by the Centre for Industrial Modernization, an agency for the promotion of Egyptian industry that is financed by the European Union.
Of the companies that are going to occupy the 205 square-metre stand at Expo Center Norte, seven participated in the last edition of Hospitalar. However, last year, the businessmen only participated as visitors, not exhibitors.
"The Egyptian businessmen have noticed that their products have quality and competitiveness to compete on the Brazilian market. The price that they charge on the foreign market makes it possible for them to supply products to Brazilian hospitals," stated the president at the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, Antonio Sarkis Jr. "In the visits they made last year they noticed that there was space for suppliers, mainly of disposable hospital items," added the secretary general at the organization, Michel Alaby.
One of the companies, Millentech Systems, has already even stared selling to Brazil and hopes to expand its business with the country. The organization produces computerized systems for image diagnosis and radiology. According to the company representative, Hossam Rady, the objectives of Millentech in Hospitalar are to obtain further information about the market, to expand cooperation with Brazilian companies and to find new partners and distributors.
Among the companies that have not yet started selling to the country, but hope to do so after the fair are Pharmaplast, which makes first aid products and post-operatory products like bandages and dressings; Enteplin, a maker of plastic equipment for medicinal and laboratory use, like catheters, oxygen masks, collectors and tubes, and MA Medial, which also produces plastic products for the medical area.
"We hope to find a strong company to work as our exclusive representative," stated Mandouh Atteia, from Pharmaplast. Naming a local distributor is also the objective of MA Medical. "We are sure that by the end of Hospitalar 2006 we will have confirmed the best opportunities for the positioning of our company on the Brazilian market," added Amjad Khalaf, from Enteplin.
The Arab Chamber is going to support Egyptian participation, together with the Egyptian commercial office in São Paulo, and will have a support stand to help not only the Egyptian, but also Arab businessmen who will be at the fair. "Egypt is now one of the main trade partners of Brazil and the Arab Brazilian Chamber is going to provide all possible support so that the businessmen may be successful," said Sarkis. "Our objective is to show that the Arabs may supply quality products, as well as oil," he added.
Emirates
Another company to participate in Hospitalar is Index, which organizes business events in the United Arab Emirates, and will have a stand to promote the International Medical Care and Diagnostic Conference and Exhibition, to take place in April 2007, in Dubai.
Hospitalar begins on June 20 and ends on the 23rd. Last year, the fair brought together 1,000 exhibitors and attracted 77,600 professional visitors. Below is the list of Egyptian companies that are going to participate.
Afri Medical
www.afrimedical.com
Ameco Medical Industries
www.amecatch.com
Arab Medical Equipment
www.amecoegypt.com
Dawi Medical
www.dawimedical.com
Enteplin
www.enteplin.com
Euromed
www.euromed.com.eg
House Medical Group
www.housemedicalgroup.com
Lifecare Surgical
www.lifeccaresi.com
MA Medical
www.medicalma.com
Millentech Systems
www.millentech-systems.com
N.I.D. Medical
www.nid-medical.com
Pharco Corporation
www.pharco.com.eg
Pharmaplast
www.pharmaplast-online.com
The Arab Company for Pharmaceuticals & Medicinal Plant
www.mepaco-pharma.net
Vitro Scient
www.vitroscient.com
Further information
Commercial Office of Egypt in São Paulo
Tel.: (+55 11) 3284-8184
*Translated by Mark Ament
