Forbidden Medical Markets

Third world countries are good places where these "old and considered obsolete medical equipment' can still be sold and find new and useful homes.

In the past, I had donated several truck loads full of used and functional medical equipment via the United Nation way.

Only a few rich and economically well off countries as mentioned who can afford and preferred to buy brand new equipment. In reality, there are a lot of other medical equipment manufactured in outside the U.S. that are more advanced and sophisticated compared to locally manufactured medical devices. These equipment at times are much cheaper in cost than their locally manufactured / assembled counterparts. But these devices are not allowed and cannot enter the US markets due to a bureaucratic FDA regulations!

Third world contries aspire to improve their standards in the same way as the developped countries. Therefore there is no harm if they impose stringent rules to control the importation of refurbished medical equipment. After all, you are dealing with people with the same medical needs even if not readily available, and they need the same standard of modernity in any equipment they receive, if possible.

The approach should be how to salvage and update the equipment and still sell it at a price competitive with Modern but Cheaper equipment from other countries than the USA or Europe. Third world countries should not be treated as a profitable dumping ground for Obsolete equipment that are proven inefficient in comparison to new and more developped designs that can make a difference in life or death... fine threading here.

I agree to a point, since most of these countries still lagged in their practice of medicine, so much more in the use of current technologies. Sad to say but they still behind in their standards of care!

What I labeled as obsolete were equipment that are still usable but been replaced nevertheless to keep up with the constant expansion and modernization needs of the facilities. I normally convert their status as spares and used them as backup equipment throughout my networked institutions. Due to legal impediments associated in the use and operations within the U.S., donations to other countries becomes an option. Rather than than destroying and trashing them into the garbage. Also, the option of donating them is considered only as an alternative when storage space becomes a premium need.

Locally a lot of different companies, dealing in equipment rentals and services, as well as those involved in reselling refurbished equipment are also very much interested in getting hold of these equipment. And most of them are a pain to deal with that I rather donate the devices to others to use.