Healthcare Market Studies in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway
Sweden, Denmark, and Norway have some of the highest quality healthcare systems in the world. However, as a percentage of GDP, these Nordic countries also have some of the highest healthcare expenditures in the world. There are ample opportunities for companies and organizations from the public and private sector to enter the healthcare market in the Nordics to help reduce expenditures while maintaining a high quality of care. To better understand these opportunities, ACCESS Health International and our partners at the Dutch Task Force Health Care conducted three healthcare market studies in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. The market studies were conducted for the Regional Economic Envoy for the Nordic and Baltic Countries on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Netherlands. The reports are based on more than thirty meetings in the three Nordic countries with representatives from government, private healthcare companies, elder care facilities, hospitals, health technology hubs, and health cluster organizations.
The reports provide an overview of the healthcare system, healthcare market, and healthcare infrastructure in each country. They also provide an analysis of market opportunities in six focus areas: mobility and vitality; eHealth; the construction of hospitals; product development; public health; and medical devices.
The study on Sweden highlights healthcare market opportunities brought on by the size of the country and the dispersed population. These factors create unique market opportunities for telemedicine and eHealth solutions, which are highly sought after in northern Sweden. The decentralized structure of the Swedish healthcare sector presents opportunities for companies to address specialized healthcare needs in the niche markets of Swedish municipalities. Additionally, Sweden has two major centers for life science innovation, one in Stockholm and one in Skåne. Swedish life science centers provide opportunities for companies to enter global markets.
Unlike Sweden, Denmark has a smaller population density and centralized structure. Centralized procurement makes it easier for companies to identify national and regional opportunities in the Danish healthcare market. The national hospital plan presents opportunities in hospital construction and medical supply procurement on a large scale. The greater Copenhagen area in Denmark is home to one of the largest life science hubs in the world. Companies, researchers, and the public sector are open to collaborate and innovate for health. With its strategic geographic position, European Union standards, and openness to collaboration, Denmark can be seen as a stepping stone to the Nordic healthcare markets.
With an oil sector that underpins the economy, Norway has amongst the highest healthcare spending per capita in the world. As such, there are ample opportunities for public and private sector actors to engage in Norwegian healthcare. Norway has centralized procurement and management of eHealth services, hospital construction, and medical supplies that makes it easy to identify opportunities. The Norwegian health sector is largely untapped by non-Nordic actors, but Norway is open to adopting innovative solutions in health through international collaborations in their technology hubs and incubators. These factors make Norway greenfield for companies and innovative solutions, alike.
The final reports were launched on June 1st, 2017 at an event held by Task Force Health Care in the Netherlands. More than sixty public and private sector participants attended the launch, including embassy representatives. For access to the full reports, please see the links below.
For the full report on Sweden click here.
For the full report on Denmark click here.
For the full report on Norway click here.