How government policies will drive China’s robotic surgery market

The adoption of surgical robotics technology is expected to accelerate with China’s push towards digitalisation of healthcare. Its Three-Year Action Plan set in motion in 2018 to promote the “new generation artificial intelligence industry” has highlighted the country’s need for surgical robots.

Now, the ‘Development Plan of Medical Equipment Industry (2021-2025)’ identifies robotic surgery as a key development area and is expected to drive the application of robotic surgery in the treatment of major diseases.

The impact of government policies on China’s robotic surgery market   

Local research and development (R&D) efforts can drive faster adoption of robotics technology. The 14th Five-Year-Plan (2021 – 2025) aims to accelerate the integration of information technology into the medical equipment industry, including the creation of medical robots. Under the plan, R&D projects related to robotics are more likely to be granted funding. The ‘Made in China 2025’ plan which identifies high-performance medical equipment areas for development will also encourage breakthroughs in local medtech and increase the domestic market share in surgical robotics. 

Government policies are providing more support for domestic manufacturers. Chinese surgical robotics companies have sped up their go-to-market timelines through the special approval pathway which expedites regulatory approval for innovative medical products.

More medtech companies specialising in surgical robotics are emerging in China. In recent years, JianJia Robots and Hurwa have entered the market alongside TINAVI, a Chinese company specialised in orthopaedic surgical robots that were founded in 2005, to develop surgical robotics solutions. Beijing currently reimburses robot-assisted surgeries for the spine, hip and knee using TINAVI’s robots.

The future of the robotic surgery market in China

With the development of the surgical robotics landscape in China, the adoption of robotics in the surgical space is expected to accelerate.

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