I am sure some prices for spare parts are a rip off but in general I am not convinced things are as bad as some make out.
If I buy a big brand state of the art TV or other consumer item and after 5 years it fails the chances are the repair cost will be quoted at more than the replacement price! I know this is true as I had a DVD recorder fail and the new drive was quoted at more than the cost of a complete new machine. In fact after 5 year you will be lucky if there are any parts available for a consumer device!
But almost all medical device manufactures must supply spare parts for ten years. This is quite costly, especially for larger items. In many cases due to stiff competition little profit is made on the sale of the item and they expect to recoup the costs on either service contracts or failing that in spare parts.
To reduce costs in controlling spares there is a tendency to only stock assemblies rather than individual items which can lead to having to spend more than expected.
I am sure there are some OEMs that overcharge but before condeming them you need to look at the bigger picture as if the OEMs fail to make a profit then they will drop out of the market and that will only reduce competition and increase prices.
Remember if EBME departments had to show a profit to shareholders I bet they would be as costly as the OEM offerings!
