Medical equipment left to rot

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Medi Wise International Company Limited, Dr. Polycarp Reccy Asman, has expressed concern that medical equipment are left to rot in health facilities across the country, due to minor faults.

He said most of the equipment acquired by government or donated by development partners and agencies have not severed their purposes.

Dr. Asman made the observations at the opening of the first national biomedical engineering conference, in Accra, which was organised on the theme: ‘Biomedical and healthcare engineering practice in Ghana, the challenges and impacts’.

He explained that the equipment was left to rot because of inadequate knowledge on medical equipment maintenance, and government’s inability to engage biomedical engineers to maintain the machines.

Dr. Asman urged institutions that train biomedical health professionals to devise measures to expose them to practical training on medical equipment management services.

He challenged biomedical laboratory technicians to build their capacity in the maintenance of medical equipment and devices.

Mr. Kingsley Aboagye Gyedu, Deputy Minister of Health, said the Health Ministry was committed to improving healthcare infrastructure, and, therefore, injected capital into the acquisition of medical equipment.

He also stated that the ministry would ensure the development of human capital in the area of biomedical engineering as personnel contribute significantly in attaining the Sustainable Development Goal three.

“Healthcare technologies and medical devices in particular represent an economic as well as a technical challenge to the health delivery systems of many countries. The ministry will ensure that biomedical engineers are equipped with the necessary skills to meet the changing healthcare demands,” Mr. Gyedu said.

He promised to support the biomedical society of Ghana in developing policies to regulate biomedical engineering practices in Ghana.

Mr. Gyedu noted that the ministry would also take steps to develop the other fields in biomedical engineering such as rehabilitation and tissue engineering, biomaterial engineering, artificial intelligence and implants and bioinformatics to complement the clinical engineering practised in Ghana.