In 2001, US$100 million worth of imports entered the laboratory equipment market in Chile. The import of reagents also totalled US$90 million (CIF). The Chilean laboratory equipment market is dominated by imports as a result of the low local production levels. There are estimated to be a total of 1,200 clinical laboratories with 900 of these being privately run whilst only 300 are public.
The president of ALACLIN (the Chilean Clinical Laboratories Association) has raised his concerns with the rapid reduction in the number of privately run clinics. By the end of 2011, the total number of private laboratory clinics reached only 800. The globalisation process is one of the main causes of this decline.

Health insurance companies are monopolising the clinical laboratory market in Chile, providing 100% coverage for certain tests which is deceptive because the cost of these tests is covered by high monthly fees. Health insurance companies are forcing their customers to go to the larger medical centres rather than the smaller equivalents. If clients do visit the smaller centres, then the health insurance companies do not reimbursed to the same extent.

The large multinational corporations operating laboratory clinics tend to buy out the smaller players and the increasing need to invest in new laboratory equipment technology places increasing pressure on the finances of the smaller players too. The only way smaller laboratories have been able to compete in the Chilean market is to reduce their prices by cutting costs whilst also providing the same quality service and standards as the larger players.

The United States represented a major importer of laboratory equipment and reagents accounting for 32% of Chile's laboratory equipment imported in 2010 and 35% of the total reagents imported.

Chile was the first country in Latin America to use the ISO 15189 norm as a benchmark or the Chilean norm NCh 2547 for clinical labs. In addition, voluntary quality standards have been applied to Chilean clinical labs since 2005.