GE Healthcare boss: “I'd be glad to have 2m-euro projects in Bistrita and Buzau”

Radu Gorduza-Lupu, manager of GE Healthcare medical equipment supplier for Romania and Moldova, says the public equipment acquisition market is completely frozen, while on the private market "banks have no appetite for lending, as they'd promised". The company last year registered sales worth more than 20m euros domestically both through General Electric Medical Systems Romania SRL, a firm through which it operates directly, and through other trade partners. The level is similar with that of 2008. "For 2010 I will not make any estimates. In our case, projects have a certain dynamics, it takes several months to start them," Gorduza-Lupu said. Last year, sales to the public sector generated below 5% of the company's total revenues. "There's still a lack of linearity. Bucharest generates the biggest sales, in terms of the size of a project. I'd be happy to have projects of 2-3m euros at Bistrita-Nasaud or Buzau," Radu Gorduza-Lupu also said. As for investors making acquisitions in Romania, he believes they are in fact buying presence for the moment where they will be able to develop private hospitals.