20-Feb-15 Columbia has announced new price regulations for medical devices from Mar-15. Medicated coronary stents will be the first device to be affected, followed by cochlear implants, hearing aids and orthopedic devices. The move is expected to result in 36% reduction in prices and USD14 billion in annual savings for the national health system. [image: mashmedical]

01-Feb-15 Brazil has plans to engage a medtech company to improve cardiology in state-sponsored hospitals. Medtronic sees an opportunity post-acquisition of Covidien, and plans to position itself as an entire cabinet supplier for cardiac surgery. "We feel you need to be bigger if you really want to be on the speed dial of the president of Brazil" a spokesperson said. [image: StarTribune/Bloomberg, Ariana Lindquist].

13-Jan-15 Regulators in Mexico have expanded the list of medical devices and healthcare products that no longer require registration. The list of items largely consists of components and accessories for low-risk devices. Mexico’s medical device market is second only to Brazil’s in Latin America. [image: MED Device Online]

31-Dec-14 Total health spending accounted for 6.2% of GDP in Mexico in 2012, among the third lowest of all OECD countries. Although improvements such as coverage of the uninsured are being made, and spending is on the increase, Mexico still has the lowest life expectancy in the OECD. [image: OECD]

15-Dec-14 IFC, part of the World Bank, will invest USD255 million to support the expansion of Rede D’Or, the largest network of private hospitals in Brazil. Despite spending almost 10% of GDP on healthcare, Brazil still faces a shortage of capacity and qualified professionals. The private sector provides for about one in four Brazilians currently. [image: Hospitalar]