Surgical access and the Covid-19 capacity crunch


EIU Healthcare estimates that overall surgical procedure volume (SPV) will fall by 15-35% in Asia-Pacific and Latin America countries* in 2020, compared to the previous year.

The timing and the extent of the spread of Covid-19 in each country, as well as the national response will mean that overall SPV and specific surgical procedures will be impacted to different degrees across countries.

In this report on “Playing catch-up: surgical access and the Covid-19 capacity crunch”, EIU Healthcare examines the extent of the Covid-19 impact on surgical procedures in various therapy groups and countries in Asia-Pacific and Latin America; and how soon surgical capacity is expected to recover.

Key regional forecasts:

  • In 2020, overall SPV will fall by up to 35% in countries in Asia-Pacific and Latin America, compared to the previous year.
  • In Asia-Pacific, SPV recovery trends vary across the region. Recovery from the Covid-19 impact is underway in China, while countries in South-East Asia are showing signs of stabilisation in Q2-Q3 of 2020.
  • In Latin America, stabilisation of health services – including surgical capacity, is expected to be delayed to 2021.
  • In the forecast period of 2021-2024, most surgical procedures are expected to grow at pre-Covid-19 levels of growth.

Download the report to find out more: 

  • Key regional outlook: What is the impact of Covid-19 on overall SPV across Asia and Latin America region in 2020? What is the expected recovery trend for the stabilisation of surgical capacity and access?
  • Key forecasts on ten countries: Which countries are expected to experience a greater fall in overall SPV fall in 2020? What is the YoY impact of Covid-19 on various surgical areas – including elective procedures most severely impacted by the pandemic?
  • Country SPV trends: How the national response to the pandemic and other government policies have impacted surgical volume at the country level and for various procedure segments
  • Covid-19 impact and recovery outlook on surgical procedure types: As the Covid-19 situation stabilises, how are various surgical segments expected to recover – and which segments will be key to driving overall SPV growth?

For more data and insights on the surgical market, find out more about EIU Healthcare’s Surgical Gateway.