Beijing's imports of medical apparatus and medicines skyrocketed in the first four months of this year, according to statistics from Beijing Customs.

Statistics show that Beijing imported 106 million US dollars worth of medical apparatus and instruments during the period, an increase of 54.6 percent over the same period last year.

Affected by the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic, the imports consisted mainly of medical equipment such as respirators, monitors and X-ray machines.

Imports of respirators in particular experienced a sharp increase. Over the period, imports of various kinds of respirators and face shields reached 7.86 million dollars, a 370 percent increase on the figure for the same period last year. In April alone, respirator imports were valued at 4.98 million dollars, 66 percent of the total for the first four months.

Medical apparatus and instruments were imported mainly from developed countries including the United States, Germany and Japan. Imports from the United States alone accounted for 40 percent of the total.

During the same period, Beijing imported 1,082 tons of medicines valued at 99.35 million dollars, a year-on-year increase of 120 percent and 74.4 percent respectively.

Medicines imported were mainly from European countries including Germany, Italy and France.

(Xinhua News Agency May 17, 2003)