The Russian Federation will allow the repair of medical equipment with non-original spare parts

From September 1, 2023, Russian medical institutions will be able to repair equipment using non-original spare parts and components. “Kommersant” writes about this with reference to the draft order of Roszdravnadzor

The department fears the introduction of Western sanctions against the Russian health care industry, one of the last not yet affected by the restrictions. At the same time, most of the high-tech medical equipment in Russian hospitals and clinics is manufactured abroad and must be regularly exported for repair abroad.

For example, x-ray tubes for computer tomographs need to be changed every six months, but their main manufacturers are companies from the Netherlands, Germany, the USA and Japan, and in the event of new sanctions, cooperation with them may be impossible.

So far, state clinics have had no problems with exporting medical equipment for repair abroad. At the same time, as a source in the private medicine market told Kommersant, last summer one of the Swiss manufacturers of lung ventilation devices refused to service ventilators already delivered to Russia in one of the large Moscow clinics.

In the spring of last year, the government banned the export of a number of goods from the country, including medical equipment. At the time, the Ministry of Health claimed that companies could obtain temporary permission to export medical equipment from the country for repair. However, the return of medical equipment to Russia, as the publication writes, may also be complicated. For example, in the event that repair is required for components that fall into the category of dual-purpose goods, such as chips.

In order to avoid the risks of non-return, Roszdravnadzor proposes to allow the use of components not provided by the manufacturer for the repair and maintenance of medical equipment in Russia.

As experts note, a significant part of medical equipment in Russia is still serviced by non-certified service centers, however, they can provide only typical parts. High-tech medical equipment often consists of unique elements, the technology of which is created only by the manufacturing company, and it will take several years to recreate it.

In addition, the development of own components or even models of medical equipment will cost more than buying them abroad, Kommersant writes.

• According to the analytical company MEDITEKS, the share of domestic manufacturers in the market now is no more than 30%. According to IMEDA, most medical equipment, especially CT, MRI and ultrasound devices, is produced in Europe, the USA and Asia.
• Since February 3, Japan has banned the export of vaccines, medical equipment and robots to Russia as part of the sanctions imposed on Moscow for its military invasion of Ukraine.