HCM CITY — The 17th International Medical, Hospital & Pharmaceutical Exhibition will take place at the Saigon Exhibition and Conference Center in HCM City from August 17 to 19.

More than 250 international and local companies in the field of pharmaceutical and medical equipment from 22 countries and territories will participate in the expo, including corporations and world-leading companies from the US, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Pakistan, Ukraine, Belarus, India, Singapore, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and China, among others.

Products on display will include medical and laboratory equipment and health care products; pharmaceuticals, functional foods, cosmetics, cosmetic equipment; machinery for processing and packaging pharmaceutical products; dental equipment; and ophthalmic equipment.

The biannual expo which takes place in HCM City in August and Hà Nội in December is a platform for the world’s most advanced medical technologies and equipment companies to access local private and pubic hospitals and local pharmacy companies.

Conferences on the local medical pharmacy market and policies will be held during the event, while a fact-finding tour to a major hospital in the city will provide foreign businesses with a realistic look at local medical treatments.

According to the European Chamber of Commerce in Việt Nam, the country’s medical equipment market is valued at US$465.4 million and is expected to reach $1.4 billion by 2018 due to the growing economy and increasing income as well as rising demand for health care services.

The country has 50 medical equipment manufacturers licensed by the Ministry of Health, supplying around 600 products.

The event, co-organised by Việt Nam National Trade Fair & Advertising Company (VINEXAD) and HCM City Medical Equipment Association, is expected to attract 15,000 visitors. — VNS