In Finland, the total market for medical equipment is estimated at $900 million in 2007.  The operating costs of Finnish hospitals have been reduced, and major hospital procurement is mainly replacing older equipment and buying some new.  However, investments in new medical equipment within the private health care sector are expected to increase.

With an import market share of 27 percent, the United States is the most important external supplier of medical equipment in Finland.  Other important external supplier countries are Germany, Sweden, France, Japan, and Switzerland.  High quality and technically sophisticated medical equipment has the best market potential in Finland, especially equipment that increases efficiency and reduces occupancy rates in hospitals.  Products, such as the following, have the best sales potential in Finland:

Patient monitoring systems

• Mini invasive surgery (MIS)
• Day surgery equipment
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment
• Video endoscopes
• Digital image processing
• Picture archiving 

Finland joined the European Union (EU) in 1995.  As a member of the EU, Finland’s local legislation concerning medical devices complies with EU directives.  Please see www.nam.fi/english/legislation/index.html for further information on both local and EU legislation.

Medical trade is duty-free within the European Union.  Import duties are collected from production coming from non-EU countries.  The amount of duty for medical equipment exported from the United States fluctuates according to a specific product, ranging from 5-12 percent.

Local production was estimated at $1,220 million in 2006, consisting mainly of dental equipment, anesthesia monitors, specialized x-ray equipment, and chemical analyzers.  Local production and imports do not overlap, as they do not compete with each other.  About 80 percent of local production is exported because of the small domestic market size.