¡¡¡¡Importation replacement process of domestic large-scale medical devices is expected to be quicker. The 2011 ~ 2015 Notice Concerning National Category B Large-scale Medical Device Configuration Planning recently issued by the Ministry of Public Health declared to review the Category B large-scale medical devices configuration planning in all provinces (regions, cities) between 2011 and 2015 in accordance with the general requirements on deepening the medical and health system reform, which focused on two basic objectives of resource allocation adjustment and medical costs reduction. The local regions were strictly required to organize and carry out examination and approval of large-scale medical equipment configuration in accordance with the approved configuration planning.

¡¡¡¡The Notice pointed out to quicken the centralized purchasing of Category B large-scale medical equipments in accordance with the general plan on strengthening centralized purchasing of medical equipments issued by the Ministry of Public Health. Purchasing of large-scale medical devices should be standardized to guarantee the quality of purchasing and maximally reduce the purchasing price, therefore promoting the further decrease in medical costs.

¡¡¡¡The Notice said that it should focus on the demand for configuration in medical equipment blank areas, remote areas and traffic inconvenience counties and cities (regions). All localities should plan and implement the task by combing the construction and completion of primary health care services system to meet the reasonable need for the construction of county hospitals and medical equipments, through which to substantially improve the medical services as well as impartiality and accessibility of hospital stay and follow up care for patients in county areas. Based on full upgrading of reasonable use of the existing equipments, the newly-added configuration in the public medical institutions in principle must guarantee that the equipment utilization rate will be equal to or over the 80% of average level in present province (region, city)
 In the implementation of large-scale medical devices stair-step configuration policy, newly-added configuration focused on clinical applicability and strict control of high-end model’s configuration. In accordance with the regulations of Guidance for Stair-step Configuration of Category B Large-scale Medical Devices, the specific classification of the medical equipments in medical institutions should be determined according to the functional position finder, skill level, science development and people’s health demand, including X-ray computed tomography (CT), medical magnetic resonance imaging system (MRI) and medical linear accelerators (LA ), to stop blind pursuit for high-end equipments by medical institutions.

¡¡¡¡The Notice also required the priority of consideration on configuration demand for government investment equipments and non-public medical institutions. The public assistance policy for public hospitals should be implemented. More financial input should be strived for, predominantly with which public medical institutions could purchase large-scale medical equipments always. Strict implementation of the policy that the examination price of the government-funded large-scale medical equipments in public hospitals was determined according to the cost after depreciation will reduce the cost for checking large-scale medical equipments.

¡¡¡¡Many securities trade analysts in pharmaceutical industry expressed in an interview by the reporter of Securities Times that the Notice intended to encourage purchasing of domestic medical equipments, and therefore to speed up the process in import-substitution of domestic medical equipments.

¡¡¡¡It is reported that the domestic enterprises have basically substituted the importation in the stent filed. At present, Lepu and other domestic enterprises totally account for the approximately 80% of the entire market share.