TEHRAN –With 50 percent of medical devices being domestically manufactured, Iran holds the first place in West Asia for producing medical equipment both in terms of quantity and diversity, a health ministry official has said.

Iranian-made medical devices worth around $50 million are exported to 40 countries annually, IRNA quoted Ahmad Moslemi as saying on Saturday.

Over the past five years, the number of manufacturing companies has increased fivefold with some 2,000 companies operating now, he noted.

Moreover,  the official said, the number of products has increased fourfold. Equipment such as implants as well as advanced medical devices are manufactured in the country as well.

In addition, the country's medical centers have been equipped with some 15,000 new hospital beds have been added to with 90 percent of the equipment produced locally, Moslemi added.

Iran Health Expo

The 25th international exhibition of medical, dental, pharmaceutical, and laboratory equipment (Iran Health Expo 2024) will be held from May 18-21 at the Tehran Permanent International Fairgrounds.

Many domestic and foreign companies will take part in the exhibition, and 40 percent of attendees are manufacturers.

Iran Health aims to develop health technologies in the country, enhance the global competitiveness of Iranian knowledge-based companies in markets, expand the exports of knowledge-based and technological firms in the health sector, and form domestic and foreign technological consortia in Iran and global markets, IRNA reported.

Sharing experiences of health technology development as well as attracting foreign investment in the field of health are among other important goals of holding this exhibition.

Iran Health aims to showcase the country’s latest products and achievements in the fields of medical engineering; dental, medical, ophthalmic, and orthopedic equipment; pharmaceuticals; home care products; remote therapy; physiotherapy; surgical and medical emergency equipment; sonography and endoscopy; medical applications; electrical equipment; beauty products; and plastic surgery.

A total of 240 foreign delegates and 55 foreign companies from 12 countries including Germany, Italy, and Switzerland, will be participating in the exhibition.

Rise in medical exports

More than 70 percent of medical equipment and 100 percent of normal hospital beds are domestically made, Abdolreza Yaqoubzadeh, the head of Iran’s Union of Medical Equipment Manufacturers and Exporters, said in January.

Also, over 95 percent of specific ICU and CCU beds and more than 85 percent of operating room medical equipment such as anesthesia machines and other equipment are manufactured with cutting-edge technology in the country, IRNA quoted Yaqoubzadeh as saying.

He went on to say that the country's need for medical equipment production is three to four billion dollars per year, some one billion dollars of which is imported.

Iran experienced a significant rise in exports of medicine and medical equipment in the first four months of the past Iranian calendar year that ended on March 19.

“Exports of pharmaceuticals and medical equipment grew by 300 percent in the first four months of the year,” IRNA quoted Heidar Mohammadi, the head of the Food and Drug Administration, as saying. 

Currently, the production of medicine, medical equipment, and powdered milk is supported by subsidies. So, their exports were very limited, but it is hoped that their exports will increase next year, he explained.

Referring to the shortage of 100 drug items in the country, he said: “Nearly one and a half percent of the country's pharmaceutical need is imported. Along with domestic production, it is done as soon as the domestic production meets the demand.”

More than 227 knowledge-based firms are supplying medical equipment for health centers across the country, according to the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology.

MT/MG