Sustainability: Stakeholders want in-country biomedical engineers trained to maintain health equipment
Training
A health communications consultancy, Healthy Living Communications Ltd., has called on the Federal Government and healthcare institutions to prioritise equipment maintenance by investing in capacity building and training of biomedical engineers.
Mr Emmanuel Oriakhi, the Chief Executive Officer of the consultancy, made the call at the 2nd Capacity Building Workshop for Biomedical Engineers in Healthcare Institutions in Nigeria held at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) on Tuesday in Lagos.
The workshop was organised by Healthy Living Communication Ltd. and College of Biomedical Engineering and Technology (CBET), Nigeria, in partnership with the Department of Hospital Services, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
The Committee of Chief Medical Directors and Medical Directors of Federal Teaching Hospitals (CCMDFTH) in Nigeria also partnered in organising the workshop.
Oriakhi, also the National Director of the project, decried the fact that equipment that ought to be functional and servicing the people were being abandoned for one reason or the other across hospitals in the country.
“It’s sad to see expensive massive hospital equipment abandoned due to lack of adequately trained biomedical engineers to repair, maintain and effectively man the equipment.
“For instance, at a hospital in the North, an MRI machine that cost over N500 million was packed waiting for people from abroad to fly into the country for its repair. It shouldn’t be.
“For the health system to thrive and function well, there must be commitment toward training of local biomedical engineers so that it is only when there are serious problems that the foreign manufacturers can be invited.
“As the government is investing in equipment procurement, it should also invest in the training of the local manpower who will man the equipment,” Oriakhi said.
The Chairman, CCMDFTH, Prof Saad Ahmed, represented by the Chief Medical Director, LUTH, Prof. Wasiu Adeyemo, described the training as timely and relevant.
According to him, the Federal Government (FG) has spent a lot of money on infrastructural upgrade across public hospitals in the country, expressing optimism that the workshop will raise expertise for effective infrastructure repair and maintenance.
“As the FG is putting a lot of money into infrastructure upgrade, as a matter of urgency, we need to train in-country biomedical engineers for adequate maintenance of these equipment.
“We are confident that the knowledge and practical skills acquired during this workshop will contribute significantly to improve equipment uptime and prolong lifespan of costly medical devices.
“We also hope it will enhance patient safety, better service delivery, and more efficient utilisation of scarce healthcare resources across our hospitals,” he said.
The Chairman, College of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Dr Kenneth Nkuma-Udah, reiterated the need for increased investment in equipment maintenance and biomedical engineering development, highlighting the vital roles of biomedical engineers in hospital setting.
The Chief Trainer of the workshop, Dr Emmanuel Awafung, said that the training was a continuation, following the remarkable success of the inaugural edition held in Abuja.
To the participants, Awafung urged them to demonstrate commitment to professional excellence and and continuous learning.
The event featured goodwill messages from partners and stakeholders, including the Department of Hospital Services, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a total of 40 biomedical engineers from 20 tertiary healthcare institutions across the country participated in the workshop, which started on Monday, July 20 to end July 24.(NAN)
