Sourcing

Why Bangladesh's Growing Private Hospital Sector Still Imports IV Cannulas & Infusion Sets

A procurement officer at a mid-sized Dhaka private hospital told us her ward runs out of 22G IV cannulas roughly the same week every quarter, right when a Chittagong port delay overlaps with a local distributor's stock-out. She isn't buying from a small clinic. Her group runs over 300 beds and adds a new diagnostic wing most years. And she still can't get consistent local supply of a device as basic as an infusion set. That gap between hospital-building speed and consumable-sourcing maturity is the story of Bangladesh's medical device trade right now.

Why Bangladesh's Growing Private Hospital Sector Still Imports IV Cannulas & Infusion Sets
Key Summary & AI Takeaways

6,047 private hospitals and clinics now deliver over 60% of Bangladesh's healthcare services, but almost 90% of the devices running through their wards, including IV cannulas and infusion sets, still arrive on a ship from abroad.

In short: Bangladesh's private hospital sector delivers over 60% of national healthcare services and keeps expanding, but the country still imports close to 90% of its medical devices, including IV cannulas and infusion sets. Distributors sourcing for hospital groups need DGDA-registered, Chittagong or Mongla-ready suppliers, not local manufacturing promises that haven't scaled yet.

The private hospital boom is real, and it isn't slowing down

Bangladesh's healthcare market was valued at roughly $14 billion in early 2025 and is projected to reach $23 billion by 2030, growing at a 10.3% CAGR since 2010, according to the BIDA Investment Summit's healthcare sector report. The private sector is doing most of the heavy lifting. Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) data cited by The Business Standard puts registered private hospitals and clinics at 6,047, running 126,353 beds, against just 665 public hospitals with 71,100 beds. Private hospitals now deliver over 60% of healthcare services nationwide, and roughly two-thirds of secondary and tertiary care, per Labaid Group and Evercare Hospital executives quoted in the same reporting.

That growth is showing up in fresh capacity too. A 300-bed private hospital in Bangladesh now costs around BDT 1,000 crore to build, and groups are still doing it, betting on rising urban demand, an aging population, and patients who currently spend an estimated $5 billion a year seeking treatment abroad that better local capacity could capture instead.

Why the import dependency hasn't closed

Hospital beds are one thing to build locally. Sterile, ISO-certified disposables are another. Industry estimates reported by The Business Standard put Bangladesh's medical device market at around Tk15,000 crore, but the country still imports nearly 90% of its devices, from syringes to surgical and imaging equipment. Bangladesh Bank data shows the country paid Tk60.80 billion for medical/surgical instrument imports in FY2024-25 alone, and National Board of Revenue figures show device imports nearly doubling from over Tk4,000 crore in FY2017 to Tk7,000 crore in FY2021.

IV sets and cannulas sit squarely inside that gap. JMI Group and Incepta have started producing infusion sets domestically for district-level hospitals, and DGDA import policy specifically flags parts and fittings for infusion sets (HS 3926.90.30 and related codes) as requiring Directorate General of Drug Administration approval before entry. But local output is still a fraction of what a sector adding tertiary beds every year actually consumes. As one JMI executive put it in industry coverage, IV sets are "essential for modern healthcare, yet there is no policy supporting local manufacturing" at the scale hospitals need.

For a distributor supplying private hospital groups, that means the reliable play right now is a DGDA-registered import pipeline, not a bet on domestic capacity catching up before the next tender cycle.

DGDA registration and HS codes buyers need to get right

  • DGDA registration (Class B/C/D medical devices) is mandatory under the Drug and Cosmetics Act 2023 before any IV cannula or infusion set shipment can clear customs.
  • IV cannulas and catheters generally fall under HS 9018.39; infusion set parts and fittings fall under HS 3926.90.30 and neighboring codes, both requiring DGDA import approval.
  • Indent (proforma invoice) approval is a monthly DGDA cycle — plan a 30-day buffer before your shipment window, not after.
  • Free Sale Certificates from the country of origin need Bangladesh Embassy attestation for Class C/D devices.
  • Chittagong (Chattogram) and Mongla are the two practical discharge ports; sea transit from Nhava Sheva or Mundra runs roughly 7-10 days.

What hospital groups actually pay: India FOB vs. European landed

Bangladesh's own device market is heavily under-invoiced and price-sensitive, which is exactly why hospital groups increasingly benchmark Indian FOB pricing against European landed cost before signing an annual framework agreement.

ItemManshav Impex (India) FOBEuropean Brand — Landed Bangladesh
IV Cannula 18G-24G (per 1,000 pcs)$38-52$95-140
IV Infusion Set, Luer Lock (per 1,000 pcs)$110-145$260-340
3-Way Stopcock / Extension Set (per 1,000 pcs)$55-75$120-170

How Indian IV-set manufacturers compare

ManufacturerStrengthTypical Positioning vs. Manshav
Hindustan Syringes & Medical Devices (HMD)High-volume syringes and IV setsComparable quality, higher MOQ thresholds
PolymedBroad infusion and IV cannula catalogSimilar spec range, mid-tier MOQ
Romsons GroupInfusion sets, urology consumablesWider catalog, slightly lower unit cost on basics
Dolphin MeditechIV cannula OEM/private labelCompetitive on private-label runs for distributors
Sourcing IV cannulas or infusion sets for a Bangladesh hospital group?

Manshav Impex ships ISO 13485-certified IV cannulas and infusion sets from Mundra and Nhava Sheva to Chittagong and Mongla, with DGDA-ready documentation. Browse the full catalog or request a quote for your next tender cycle.

A distributor stocking for three private hospital groups at once doesn't actually care whether the device was made in Dhaka or Gujarat. They care whether it clears DGDA on schedule and whether the next container lands before the ward runs out, and right now, that reliability still favors an established import pipeline over a domestic industry that's growing but not yet at hospital scale.

What this means for distributors right now

The market signal is straightforward. Bangladesh's private hospital sector isn't pausing to wait for local device manufacturing to mature. New tertiary hospitals, specialty clinics, and diagnostic centers keep opening, and each one needs a working IV line on day one. Until domestic infusion-set output scales past district-hospital volumes, the import channel is the supply chain, and the distributors who keep DGDA paperwork clean and lead times predictable are the ones winning repeat orders from hospital procurement desks, not the ones with the lowest quoted price on a single shipment.

Frequently asked questions

Do IV cannulas and infusion sets need DGDA registration to enter Bangladesh?

Yes. Under the Drug and Cosmetics Act 2023, all Class B/C/D medical devices, including IV cannulas and infusion set components, require DGDA registration and indent (proforma invoice) approval before customs clearance.

What percentage of medical devices does Bangladesh import?

Industry estimates reported by The Business Standard put import dependency at roughly 90% for devices ranging from syringes to imaging and surgical equipment, despite a growing base of local manufacturers like JMI Group and Incepta.

Which ports should a distributor use to import from India to Bangladesh?

Chittagong (Chattogram) and Mongla are the two practical discharge ports for containerized medical consumable shipments from Nhava Sheva or Mundra, with sea transit typically running 7-10 days.

Why are private hospitals in Bangladesh growing so fast?

Private hospitals and clinics already deliver over 60% of national healthcare services and about two-thirds of secondary/tertiary care, driven by urbanization, a growing middle class, and government tax incentives for hospitals built outside Dhaka, Narayanganj, Gazipur, and Chattogram.

How long does DGDA indent approval take for a new import order?

DGDA holds one indent approval meeting per month, and the process typically takes around 30 days, so distributors should build that into their shipment planning rather than ordering reactively.

Is it cheaper to source IV cannulas from India or Europe for a Bangladesh hospital group?

Indian FOB pricing typically runs well below European landed cost for equivalent ISO 7886/ISO 10555-compliant IV cannulas and infusion sets, which is why most private hospital groups in Bangladesh source primarily from Indian manufacturers.

Are local Bangladeshi manufacturers producing IV infusion sets yet?

A small number, including JMI Group and Incepta, have started producing infusion sets and related consumables domestically, mainly for district-level hospitals, but volumes remain far below what the growing private tertiary hospital sector needs.

Manshav Impex

Manshav Impex is a global exporter of medical devices, surgical consumables and healthcare solutions, serving importers, distributors, hospitals and governments in 48+ countries.

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