U-S. Dollar Millions

Source: Office of the Comptroller General and estimates from industry sources.

Before the pandemic,  the market for disposable medical supplies in Panama grew at an average rate of 10% over the last decade due to the growing population and increased public and private investment in the health sector.  The public sector, comprised of the Social Security Fund (CSS) and the Ministry of Health, represents approximately 70% of the total market, while the private sector represents 30%.  The private sector is largely composed of modern hospitals, some of them affiliated with foreign health organizations.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a severe impact on the health sector in Panama.  Panama has significantly increased spending on disposable medical supplies and is prepared to continue devoting significant resources to dealing with the crisis. Consequently, the market for disposable medical supplies is expected to grow significantly in 2022, and probably at least 15% in the following years. The U.S. market share in 2019 was approximately 31%, facing intense competition from Asia (Japan, South Korea, and China) and Europea (France, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland). There is no production of disposable medical supplies in Panama. 

The disposable medical supplies market offers numerous opportunities for small, medium, and large U.S companies. Main disposable medical supplies included in this report are: dialysis consumables, diagnostic supplies, infusion products, radiology consumables, hypodermic products, intubation and ventilation supplies, woven and non-woven medical supplies, sterilization consumables, gloves, exam gowns, bandages, drug test disposables, face masks and goggles (surgical and non-surgical), surgical sponges, hypodermic needles, syringes, and wound care consumables.

The procurement of disposable medical products in the public sector is carried out by tenders announced on “Panama Compra,” the online government public procurement system.  By law, government purchases can only be made from local companies or foreign companies registered in Panama.  U.S. companies interested in marketing disposable medical supplies in Panama should appoint a local distributor with knowledge of the local procurement system and business practices.  Developing a strong relationship with local distributors is critical to succeeding in this market. Please contact the U.S. Commercial Service in Panama for more information and for help in appointing a distributor.

Leading Sub-Sectors

• Masks and Gloves: face masks, surgical masks, barrier masks, and face shield masks. 
• Disposable Clothing – exam gowns, surgical gowns, scrub suits, cover alls, nurse gowns, caps, aprons,  shoe covers, oversleeves, surgical dressings, reinforced surgical gowns, high-performance surgical gowns, and lab coats. 
• Disposable Surgical Supplies – surgical bandages, sponges, medical gloves, surgical blades, and scalpels.
• Test supplies: clamped boss load rings, drying and weighing digital hotplates, hotplates, oven drying method, particle size analysis: test sieves, sieve brushs, sieve lids and receivers, laboratory scoops and shovels, rubber tubing, measuring cylinders, funnels, bottles, anddigital, portable dial-type, and general purposes thermometers.
• Syringes: Anesthesia syringes, conventional syringes, fluid dispensing syringes, drug delivery systems, insulin syringes, pre-filled flush syringes, and safety syringes.
• Dental supplies: Cups and dispensers, headrest covers, bib towels, bib holders, cotton products, tongue depressors and applicators, tray covers, gauze-sponges, facial tissues, inner core traps, denture boxes, dry absorbent pads, impression traps, disposable mirrors, and nasal hoods.
• Specimen collection: serum separator gel blood collection tubes, blood collection tubes, disposable sterile plastic specimen collection containers, sterile plastic dishes, stool specimen containers, vacuum blood collection, and EDTA tube plastic and glass.
• COVID-19 test kits: – Covid-19 home test kit, Covid-19 IgM/IgG Rapid test kit, CDC COVID-19 laboratory test kit (serologic test).

Opportunities

• The construction of modern hospitals in Panama City, such as the City of Health, the new Children´s Hospital, the new Oncology Hospital, and several regional hospitals across Panama.
• The COVID-19 surge in demand for quality disposable products.
• New hygiene practices by the general population to protect themselves from the virus, which have generated massive use of disposable medical products at home, especially face masks and gloves.

Resources

- Ministry of Health: https://www.panamacompra.gob.pa/Inicio/#/

- Caja del Seguro Social: https://www.panamacompra.gob.pa/Inicio/#/

- American Chamber of Commerce in Panama: https://www.panamcham.com/es

- Panama Chamber of Commerce: https://www.panamcham.com/es

- Panama Compra: https://panacompra.gob.pa/