Why this is important to Wisconsin businesses: Hospitalar is the largest medical industry fair in Latin America and the third-largest in the world.
Brazil’s Hospitalar trade show—the largest medical industry fair in Latin America and third-largest in the world after Medica and Arab Health—attracted around 85,000 visitors and more than 1,200 exhibitors from more than 50 countries for its 25th iteration in May last year. The trade show serves as the launch platform for some of the latest and most impactful innovations in health care. With topical discussion forums featuring top industry executives and co-located shows like Diagnostic and Hospfarma, it opens many avenues for business expansion in Brazil for medical products companies.
For the 26th iteration from May 21-24, 2019, in São Paulo, the Hospitalar trade show is continuing to support Brazil’s R$400 billion ($100 billion U.S.) health care sector. Opportunities for Wisconsin exporters extend beyond the technology, rehabilitation and facilities segments, which are the sector’s main areas of growth.
The State of São Paulo itself is home to the largest hospital complex in the country, with 22% of all hospital beds in Brazil, including ward beds, surgical beds and supplementary beds. São Paulo has 2.73 physicians and 1.84 dentists for every 1,000 inhabitants, and 42.6% of the population of São Paulo is covered by private health insurance, compared to a national average of 24.2%.
São Paulo also has 22,000 public and private health sector establishments, including hospitals, clinics, centers, outpatient centers and health units. Some of these institutions have direct links with educational institutions, such as the São Paulo Hospital at the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp), the Hospital das Clínicas at the University of São Paulo (USP), and the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP).
The state's large number of reference centers—high-complexity oncology units and institutions qualified to perform organ and bone marrow transplants—should also be noted. A pioneer in the application of new methods for diagnosing and treating cancer in Brazil, the Hospital A.C. Camargo is just one of São Paulo’s health care institutions that is highly respected in its area of specialty, both nationally and internationally. Other centers of excellence are the in the Instituto do Câncer do Estado de São Paulo Octavio Frias de Oliveira (Icesp), specializing in cancer treatment, and the Instituto do Coração (InCor), specializing in the clinical and surgical treatment of heart disease through a multi-professional team that regularly participates in exchange programs with similar international institutions.
São Paulo is also home to the largest health care industrial complex in Brazil, developing policies to encourage the production of medicines in the country. For example, the pharmaceutical laboratory of the State of São Paulo—the Popular Medicine Foundation, or FURP—is the largest public manufacturer of medicines in Brazil and one of the largest in Latin America, occupying a strategic position in national health policies. Founded in 1974, its production includes more than 70 types of drugs, among them anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory and anti-retroviral drugs and medicines to control hypertension, diabetes and mental health.
The Hospitalar trade show represents a prime opportunity for Wisconsin companies to connect into Brazil’s health care market as well as make connections with global companies in the sector.