Marina Sarruf*
São Paulo – The Saudi market has potential for imports of Brazilian medical and hospital products. This is the conclusion of the International Marketing manager of the Association of the Manufacturers of Medical and Dental Products (Abimo), Maurício Manfré. He is participating in the Saudi Healthcare, in Saudi Arabia. The fair began on Sunday (29) and ends on Thursday (02).
"Brazilian products are well received on the Saudi market. We have technology and good prices," stated Manfré. According to the executive, the objective of Abimo participation in the Saudi fair is consolidation of contacts that were made during the trade mission that Brazilian businessmen made to the Middle East, between May 20th and 27th.
"In Riyadh, we made 70 contacts with local distributors in the public sector and in Jeddah, we made 30 contacts with distributors from the private sector," stated Manfré. The mission represented 19 Brazilian companies in the medical, hospital, dentistry and laboratory equipment sectors. "The result was very good. Our forecast for closing business is great," he said. The Abimo represents a total of 418 Brazilian companies.
According to Manfré, both the private and the public sector in Saudi Arabia showed interest in Brazilian products. There are 600 hospitals in the country, 400 private and 200 public.
Beds
Another company present at the Brazilian stand is Hospimetal, a hospital equipment producer from the city of Araçatuba (in the interior of the southeastern Brazilian state of São Paulo). The company is exhibiting its hospital beds. "They made many contacts with representatives in the healthcare area in the government and private sector," stated the foreign trade analyst of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (CCAB), Fadley Fattah, who is at the fair.
According to Fattah, a Saudi representative intends to buy 240 beds from Hospimetal for a project for the construction of a private hospital in the country.
13th edition
Saudi Healthcare takes place in Saudi Arabia every two years. Most of the exhibitors are from the country itself. According to Fattah, there are a total of 100 companies from some 15 countries at the fair. The last edition included over 5,500 visitors from various countries.
According to information supplied by the Ministry of Health of Saudi Arabia, the health sector receives the third largest share of the Saudi budget. Last year, investment in new projects in the area totalled US$ 6.4 billion.
*Translated by Mark Ament
