Colombian Healthcare Market: A Hidden Gem!
We are proud to present our report: Life Sciences & Health Sector Colombia
The Holland House Colombia and Task Force Health Care, commissioned by RVO.nl, have executed this study and identified unique opportunities for the Dutch Life Sciences & Health sector!
10 reasons why Colombia is interesting for Dutch healthcare companies:
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Ambitious Healthcare Plans as a consequence of Peace Treaty:
The peace agreement (Acuerdo de paz) between the government and the FARC signed in November 2016 offers new opportunities to improve the living standard of rural populations. Providing and improving basic services as healthcare, electricity and communications is urgently needed. Furthermore, the Ministry of Health has set aside budgets and made promises to provide access to good quality Healthcare by 2020 but realises that it needs knowledge, products and smart solutions from abroad to obtain this.
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Netherlands is with 50% biggest Healthcare client of Colombia:
50% of health tourism in Colombia derives from the Caribbean Islands of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, mainly consisting of tertiary care. This makes the availability of high quality healthcare in Colombia of key interest to the Dutch government.
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Colombian hospitals rank #1 in Latin America!
20 of 43 best ranked hospitals in Latin America are to be found in Colombia. Colombia has a very advanced private hospital sector and it's newly installed government is aiming to expand it's number of hospitals vastly in the coming years. Find the ranking under this link.
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Easy market access for SME's compared to other Latin American countries:
Import regulations are relatively fast and easy in Colombia compared to countries such as Brazil and Mexico. The presence of a wide range of small SME from other (European) countries confirms this.
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Only country in L.A. with privatized healthcare system (like the Netherlands!):
Colombia has a Managed Competition healthcare system, like the Dutch. The Netherlands (next to Germany and Switzerland) is one of the only (European) countries with a similar system. Despite the different context, Dutch solutions can relatively easy be adapted to the Colombian system.
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In 2015 the Dutch and Colombian MoH signed bilateral cooperation document:
After the signing of an MoU already in 2006, the Dutch minister of Health (Minister Schippers) signed a document further defining the most important aspects of Dutch-Colombian cooperation in Healthcare. Key subjects are: Public Health, Rural development (E-health), Training & Education, Investigation.
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More than 90% of the Colombian hospitals and clinics are private:
These are mostly smaller hospitals and clinics offering tertiary care, and other clinics such as esthetic clinics and ophthalmology. Nevertheless, during the last years more big projects by private entities have been executed offering for example hospital care, housing & shopping under one roof. Many private hospitals are now planning to expand / build new hospitals, and are looking for innovative state of the art technology and design from countries such as the Netherlands.
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The Colombian health market is not discovered yet (as opposed to the BRIC's):
Despite some foreign presence (mainly scattered), the Colombian market has not been discovered yet by other (European) countries as an interesting growth market for the Life Sciences & Health sector. This provides a unique opportunity for the Dutch sector to make a true impact.
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Colombians go for sustainable, modern and innovative solutions:
During conversations with important stakeholders in the Life Sciences & Health sector, there was demonstrated true understanding, conscience and modern thinking regarding the sector. The key-words in their 10-year approach (2012 2021) are overall wellbeing and intersectoral strategies, familiar to the Dutch interdisciplinary approach.
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The Netherlands has a warm and active relationship with policymakers and decision-makers in the Colombian health sector.
Moreover, between 2016 and 2018 the Netherlands has received regular visits of Colombia's main decisionmakers and influencers in Healthcare, as well as many hospital directors and health insureres who now see the Netherlands as important partner in the development of it's health sector as well as a breeding ground for smart solutions in health which are valuable and applicable in Colombia.
Want to learn more?
Life Sciences & Health mission to Colombia:
Interested in joining the Dutch delegation on a trade mission to Colombia ( 25 - 29 November 2018), please click here to find more information.