Considering how much ancient history there is in the “Star Wars” universe, bacta is a relatively modern innovation. Its production on the planet Thyferra dates back a long time, but it wasn’t until later in the High Republic era — a couple hundred years before the beginning of the prequel trilogy — that it started being mass-produced across the galaxy and used as a widespread medical technology.
The High Republic novel “Light of the Jedi” details the efforts on Hetzal Prime, a major agricultural world, to manufacture bacta en masse. However, such methods took tiem to refine and proliferate. By the time that the Clone Wars began, though, bacta production had become much easier and more commonplace, and the republic used bacta tanks frequently to treat wounded clones and Jedi.
We see private bacta tanks throughout the original trilogy era and in the years following “Return of the Jedi.” The rebels have access to the devices on their main ships and within their primary bases, like on Hoth. In “The Book of Boba Fett,” the eponymous bounty hunter also has a tank in his Tatooine palace — a home he steals from the late Jabba the Hutt, suggesting the tank belonged to the mobster to begin with. While bacta tanks are common in these stories, they aren’t so universal that just anyone can use them.
