Reasons that reducing barriers to trade may benefit countries that trade in medical equipment:

Reducing barriers to trade enable countries to benefit from relative comparative advantage. One country may be able to produce components or a piece of medical equipment in its entirety at a lower opportunity cost than another country. Such equipment is expensive and represents a significant cost for health departments across countries.

A country that has a lower opportunity cost will be more efficient at producing the equipment and trade will enable it to engage in research and development to enhance the equipment. This may enable medical advancement to take place at a faster pace which contributes to enhanced welfare. There will also be economies of scale that arise as a result of specialization, enabling output to increase and reduce the cost of production.

Open trade with one another may also enable countries to benefit from being able to access a variety of medical equipment, knowledge exchange with other countries and technology transfer faster than would be possible without cooperation. Socio-political gains from partnership and permitting of free trade could be significant and pay dividends in future relationships.