Healthcare facilities in Latin American countries need to be more equipped due to budgetary constraints. Data suggests that the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries’ average health per capita, public and private, is US$3,994 when adjusted to purchasing power parity (PPP). However, it is significantly lower in Latin American countries such as Argentina (US$1,907), Brazil (US$1,138), and Columbia (US$960). As a result, people do not have access to quality medical care.
Consequently, health professionals find it challenging to contain epidemics and confront the rise in mortality due to missed diagnoses in the Caribbean and Latin American regions. A recent study has highlighted the importance of early detection and diagnostic confirmation to reduce mortality and morbidity among Latin Americans.
X-ray machine inadequacy impacts timely and accurate diagnosis in the region
It is common to see clinicians in the region depending on older medical devices, often resulting in delayed and missed diagnoses. For instance, currently, doctors and radiologists still rely on older X-ray films which take time to develop. This results in patients having to wait for an accurate diagnosis.
Related: Unveiling the Latin American health market
Moreover, as updated healthcare facilities are often inaccessible from remote areas in Latin America, many patients skip their appointments in larger urban centres simply because they do not want to return to collect their reports and clinical diagnoses. The result is rather dismal. The availability of affordable medical devices and imaging equipment has the potential to change scenario this for the better.
Advanced imaging devices are the need of the hour
Advanced, affordable, and easily implementable X-ray systems have the potential to save innumerable billable hours of doctors and technicians and unburden healthcare facilities across Latin America. There is an urgent need to implement X-ray devices that can be used across clinics, hospitals, urgent care centres, and general practices, even if there are space constraints, which is usually the case in Latin American countries.
New imaging devices are changing the scene in LATAM
To overcome these issues, Konica Minolta Healthcare, an American company, has recently launched two of its popular medical devices in the Latin American (LATAM) market.
Konica Minolta’s KDR Primary system and MKDR Xpress are particularly suited where clinicians need quick diagnostic imaging in clinical settings with limited facilities. Both devices will launch in Mexico and eventually become available in other Latin American countries. Such affordable and patient-friendly imaging devices are poised to empower medical professionals to avoid delays in essential care.
Stay up to date with the latest advancements in medical care through the Florida International Medical Expo (FIME), the largest trade show for the medical device and equipment industry in the Americas, taking place between June 21 and 23, 2023.
Network with medical device and equipment manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors in the Americas, with over 12,000 trade professionals from more than 110 countries worldwide and attend thought-provoking conferences for knowledge-sharing. Register today! (embed tracker link)
