Equipment Maintenance

The medical sector has witnessed transformative changes in the last few decades, with the discovery of new medicines and equipment, expansion of knowledge and innovation of the diagnostic system. The qualitative improvement in healthcare is largely attributed to cutting-edge medical equipment that enables the diagnosis and treatment of various medical conditions precisely. This has enhanced the efficacy of treatment of patients, boosting their life expectancy significantly. Those with terminal diseases have also received new life with timely diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, scientific inventions have revolutionised the healthcare system, bringing well-being and happiness to people.  

With limited resources, the Nepal government has been striving to deliver quality health services to the citizens. With the country structured into the federal set-up, the successive governments have taken pol-icy to equip the state-run medical centres with advanced technology, competent doctors and other basic medical facilities.  The three-tier governments have exercised their autonomy to purchase medical equipment according to their needs. Both government and private hospitals have the policy to buy equipment as per distinct operational requirements. However, one flip side of our medical system is that sometimes expensive medical equipment remains idle in the absence of technicians. Likewise, when the big machines go out of order, they are not used for a long time for lack of timely repairing. 

The tendency to buy new equipment instead of repairing the broken ones costs a good deal of money. However, the present government has taken steps to end this practice and opted to restore the valuable machines to working order. As per the agreement reached between the Ministry of Health and Popula-tion and the National Innovation Centre, around 500 medical equipment that had been lying unused at federal hospitals have been repaired. The Centre assessed and repaired damaged equipment at 17 fed-eral hospitals, and repairs have been completed at 10 hospitals. It has inspected around 661 medical equipment for maintenance. 

According to a news report published in this daily, the total cost of repairs amounted to Rs. 23.2 million, with the value of the equipment in Nepal estimated at Rs. 243 million. The repairs ranged from simple wire connections to more complex fixes requiring additional materials. The Centre has said that it is ready to repair equipment of other hospitals if they request it.  The collaboration between the Centre and the Ministry has yielded a positive outcome. This has improved the hospital services to the patients. The government should encourage and utilise the local skills and knowledge to maintain the expensive equipment given that there are not adequate resources – financial and human – for better medical ser-vices. The state-run hospitals at the provincial and local levels should follow the footsteps of the federal administration.

The governments at all tiers have twin challenges. On the one hand, they should provide affordable healthcare to all people, while on the other, they have to aptly manage the financial constraints that hin-der the supply of state-of-the-art medical amenities. Many doctors prefer to work in the urban centres and refuse to get deputed in the rural places. At the same time, doctors are also leaving the country in search of better opportunities abroad. It is a formidable challenge to plug many a hole. Still, the prag-matic approach to handling the problems, as seen in the fixing of the damaged equipment through the local experts, entails insights to shoot many troubles pestering the health sector.