At the beginning of the national emergency caused by COVID-19, in March 2020, it was feared the healthcare system collapse in the face of a massive contagion that would make it impossible to meet the needs of the population. For 2 years, the health industry played an essential role in Argentina, and despite the devastation caused by the pandemic in all areas, redefined the industry.
The core of our business at the Hospital Services Center (CSH) has historically been the solutions for intensive care and critical care, the center of the extraordinary demand caused by COVID-19. All this technology was essential in the care of the most complex cases of patients affected by the coronavirus.
It was necessary to respond to the crisis and contribute to a sustainable recovery in the health system of Argentina in the short term. In our case, the pandemic was a trigger to continue supplying equipment to health centers in both the private and public sectors. We met the demand of national, provincial and municipal hospitals, international organizations such as the Red Cross; and from sanatoriums, clinics, diagnostic centers and independent professional offices.
and cach wave of the pandemic had an impact on the market. From the beginning of the pandemic until today, it is possible to identify 4 moments that mark where the health industry is going, and what is the main demand of our business.
The first wave was the urgent demand from the health system to respond in time to hospitalization cases, which with the outbreak of COVID-19 began to collapse. At that time we were at the forefront, and we still have room to supply health institutions with equipment for intensive care and critical care mainly.
Among them: respirators, multiparametric monitors, central monitoring, infusion systems, defibrillators, therapy beds, among other products. And for emergencies and primary care we have transfer stretchers, defibrillators, electrocardiographs, multiparametric monitors, vital signs monitors, defibrillators and pulse oximeters.
In those first instance, the business demand was focused on satisfying the critical situation that was crossing the country and that still leaves a residual request for high-tech equipment. Undoubtedly, health has returned to the forefront, which has a positive impact on us as a supplier company and, in turn, opened up an opportunity for development; but we also know that the market has become saturated in many areas.
We meet riding a second wave, where, due to the need to prioritize intensive care, many non-emergency surgeries had to be postponed. But when the health situation in the country went from being an emergency to taking a more controlled pace, postponed interventions were resumed and there CSH responded with equipment for operating rooms.
Forward, we glimpse a third wave, where highly complex treatments such as diabetes, dialysis and oncology are found; it is there where the market demand will give space to new high-tech productssuch as hemodialysis equipment for renal function replacement therapy and chronic alternative treatments.
A fourth wave product of the collateral effects left by the pandemic and covers the spectrum of psychological treatments, psychosocial and neurological disorders. There, the equipment niche for specific neurology studies was reactivated within the diagnostic imaging sector, such as transcranial Doppler.
Finally, the “HomeCare“He came to stay and the highly complex health centers, for surgeries and treatments, will begin to give patients an early medical discharge. The rest of the recovery will take place at home, which for a health system at limit, it is a relief at the same time that it reduces costs and avoids contagions and nosocomial illnesses.In tune, 2022 will bring solutions for the intelligent management of clinical information and its optimization from the Artificial intelligencethe next step.
By Tomás Piqueras, CEO of CSH.
by Tomas Piqueras
