Resilience of the Medical Equipment Industry Under War Conditions

Mehdi Pirsalehi, deputy health minister and head of the Food and Drug Organization, spoke at the opening of the medical, dental, laboratory equipment and pharmaceutical supplies exhibition at Tehran's Shahr-e Aftab International Exhibition Center. Thanking producers and importers in the sector, he said the country's medical equipment industry has played a key role in meeting the needs of the health system despite difficult economic conditions and sweeping sanctions. Industry players, despite limited

Referring to the resilience of the medical equipment industry in the conditions of war and embargo, the head of the Food and Drug Organization announced the unveiling of more than 17 new domestically produced products and said: despite the follow-ups, liquidity problems, pending claims and foreign currency supply are still serious challenges of this industry.

Mehdi Pirsalehi, deputy minister of health and head of the Food and Drug Organization, at the opening ceremony of the exhibition of medical, dental, laboratory and pharmaceutical equipment, which began today at the international exhibition in the city of Aftab, expressed his gratitude to the producers and importers of this field and said: the country's medical equipment industry has played an important role in meeting the needs of the health system in difficult economic conditions and extensive sanctions. Activists of this industry have tried to provide the equipment needed by medical centers despite many restrictions.

Stating that the medical equipment exhibition is not the only place to present statistics and industrial achievements, Pirsalehi added: This exhibition should be considered a symbol of the resilience and innovation of Iran's medical equipment industry. During this event, more than 17 new products produced for the first time in the country will be unveiled and exhibited.

Referring to the performance of the medical equipment industry in the conditions of the 12-day war and the tightening of sanctions, the head of the Food and Drug Organization said: Since the war, the country has been facing more restrictions, including sea and air blockade, but the medical equipment industry has tried with all its might so that no hospital faces a shortage of equipment, no surgery is canceled due to lack of equipment, and patients are not deprived of medical services.

He emphasized: the continuation of the activity of this industry in such conditions shows the capability of domestic producers and suppliers; Collections that, despite the economic pressures, have prioritized meeting the needs of the health system.

outstanding claims; A serious challenge for the medical equipment industry

Pirsalehi considered one of the most important problems of the medical equipment industry to be the accumulated claims from the government and the private sector and said: Hospitals have faced significant debts to medical equipment companies due to the heavy claims they have from insurance organizations. It is very difficult to continue industrial activity without sufficient liquidity, and the activists of this field have been able to continue producing and supplying equipment despite these problems.

Referring to the follow-ups of the Ministry of Health to pay these demands, he added: In most of the meetings of the Minister of Health with government officials, the Planning and Budget Organization and the Central Bank, the issue of providing financial resources to insurance organizations and paying their debts is raised. The goal is that the health insurance organization and the social security organization can receive their claims from the government in order to facilitate the payment process of hospitals to medical equipment companies.

The head of the Food and Drug Organization continued: Despite numerous follow-ups, the measures taken have not yet achieved the desired result and the liquidity problems of this industry still persist.

Tracking the use of step documents for medicine and medical equipment

Pirsalehi also explained about the use of Gam bonds to finance the medical equipment industry: the resolution related to these bonds is directed towards the financing of basic goods and some other goods. However, the Food and Drug Organization has corresponded with the Central Bank and we have received promises to enable the use of this financial instrument in the field of medicine and medical equipment.

He emphasized: Using different funding capacities can reduce part of the liquidity problems of manufacturers and suppliers of medical equipment.

Supporting production without factories and knowledge-based companies

In another part of his speech, the deputy minister of health mentioned the issue of factory-free production and said: One of the honors of the Food and Drug Organization and the health system is that nearly 25 years ago, before the issue of factory-free production was raised in many other industries, this method was used in the field of medicine, medical equipment and supplements.

He added: In this method, companies that do not have independent factories can use the empty capacity of active production units. This opportunity is especially valuable for knowledge-based companies that do not have enough capital to establish a factory.

Emphasizing the support of the Food and Drug Organization for the development of this production method, Pirsalehi said: We welcome the expansion of production without factories and we will try to provide the field for the production of knowledge-based products needed by the country more than in the past by using the existing capacities.

The supply of foreign currency for the production of drugs and medical equipment is still uncertain

The head of the Food and Drug Organization, pointing to the necessity of cooperation between different institutions to support the medical equipment industry, said: This industry is a joint field between several institutions and ministries. The Food and Drug Organization is responsible for supervision and regulation, the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Trade plays a role in various sectors, and the National Standards Organization is also responsible in some areas.

He continued: In order to increase coordination between these institutions, a memorandum of understanding has been signed between the Ministry of Health and the National Standards Organization, and appropriate meetings have been held with the officials of the Ministry of Health.

Pirsalehi further criticized the failure to solve the problem of providing foreign currency for the devices needed by the pharmaceutical and medical equipment industry and said: despite the personal follow-up of the Minister of Health, the order of the President and the sending of the required lists to the Ministry of Security, no action has been taken to provide foreign currency for the devices in this field.

He warned: If the currency required for the import of medical and pharmaceutical devices and parts is not provided, the production process in these industries will face a slowdown. For this reason, it is necessary to pursue this matter more seriously.

Supporting high-quality and competitive medical equipment

The head of the Food and Drug Organization emphasized the need to improve the quality of domestic products and stated: We consider it our duty to support the production of high-quality and competitive medical equipment. The products produced in this field are directly related to the health of patients, and some of them are used in the patient's body; Therefore, it is necessary to comply with quality standards and regulatory requirements in their production.

This official emphasized: In addition to the approval of regulatory standards, medical equipment must also be accepted by doctors and users. Fortunately, there is this satisfaction in most domestically produced products, and the Food and Drug Organization tries to support the producers of high-quality products by providing facilities and speeding up administrative processes.

Changing procedures to reduce bureaucracy in the field of medical equipment

Accepting some administrative problems in the field of medical equipment, Pirsalehi said: We know that the process of doing things is slow in some sectors and producers and suppliers are facing problems. For this reason, changes have been made in the procedures of the General Department of Medical Equipment, which will take time to show their results.

He continued: We are trying to increase the speed and accuracy in doing things with the cooperation of associations, unions, unions and other activists of the medical equipment industry. The goal is for manufacturers and suppliers to focus on the production and supply of equipment needed by the country instead of getting involved in long administrative processes.

In the end, the head of the Food and Drug Organization emphasized again the problem of pending claims of the medical equipment industry: although the payment of these claims is not directly within the authority of the Food and Drug Organization, the follow-ups are continued through the Program and Budget Organization, the First Vice President and the presidential body, so that we can solve part of the financial problems of the activists of this industry.

Appreciating the producers, importers and all the activists in the field of medical equipment, he said: We are proud of your presence and efforts, that you have been with the people and the health system in the difficult conditions of the country, and that you are still working to meet the medical needs of the country.

The necessity of forming a joint table of medical equipment

Maryam Ghasemi, the secretary of the Association of Manufacturers and Exporters of Medical Equipment, also stated: In Corona and the recent wars, the country's medical equipment industry suffered a repetition of problems and a vicious cycle of wrong policies, and the solution of each problem depended on the solution of another problem and an accumulation of problems that resulted in internal sanctions and created additional problems for manufacturers and suppliers.

According to Ghasemi, the contractionary budgeting of recent years, deviation from the budget in the performance of weak insurance coverage and lack of insurance coverage of some goods, accumulated and deferred claims, non-systematic payments, purchases without credit, mandatory pricing even in cases where the goods did not receive preferential currency and were not subject to receiving preferential currency, multiple exchange rates that took away the possibility of stability of planning and investment from producers and suppliers, and finally, lack of sufficient interaction between institutions and It has aggravated the problems between the organizations that are effective in the country's medical equipment industry.

He continued: "In order to prevent false repetition, we need private sector advice, statistical information, stable and collectable sources and cooperation between ministries, and we request and suggest that a joint table of medical equipment be formed with the presence of ministries, organizations and institutions effective in this field." We must solve these problems together.

Ghasemi emphasized: Today, at the 2026 Iran Exhibition, with the symbol of the resilience of the medical equipment industry, we announce that the private sector is standing proud and has come out of many crises.