Healthy Living Communications Ltd., a health communications consultancy, has urged the Federal Government and healthcare institutions to prioritise the maintenance of medical equipment by investing in the capacity building and training of biomedical engineers across the country.
The call was made by the Chief Executive Officer of the consultancy, Mr. Emmanuel Oriakhi, at the 2nd Capacity Building Workshop for Biomedical Engineers in Healthcare Institutions in Nigeria, held at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Lagos.
The workshop was organised by Healthy Living Communications Ltd. in collaboration with the College of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, 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 convening the event.
Oriakhi, who is also the National Director of the project, lamented that expensive medical equipment meant to serve patients was being abandoned in hospitals nationwide due to a shortage of qualified local engineers.
“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,” he said.
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He cited a case in northern Nigeria where an MRI machine valued at over N500 million had been left unused, pending the arrival of foreign technicians to carry out repairs.
“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,” Oriakhi stated. “As the government is investing in equipment procurement, it should also invest in the training of the local manpower who will man the equipment.”
The Chairman of the CCMDFTH, Prof. Saad Ahmed — represented by the Chief Medical Director of LUTH, Prof. Wasiu Adeyemo — described the training as both “timely and relevant.” He noted that the Federal Government had committed significant resources to upgrading hospital infrastructure and expressed optimism that the workshop would build the expertise required to sustain those investments.
“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,” Adeyemo said.
“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.”
The Chairman of the College of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Dr. Kenneth Nkuma-Udah, reiterated the need for increased investment in equipment maintenance and the development of the biomedical engineering profession, stressing the vital role such engineers play in hospital operations.
The Chief Trainer of the workshop, Dr. Emmanuel Awafung, said the Lagos edition was a continuation of the initiative following the success of the inaugural workshop held in Abuja. He urged the participants to commit themselves to professional excellence and continuous learning.
The event also featured goodwill messages from partners and stakeholders, including representatives of the Department of Hospital Services, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
A total of 40 biomedical engineers drawn from 20 tertiary healthcare institutions across Nigeria are participating in the five-day workshop, which began on Monday, July 20, and is scheduled to end on July 24.
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