HEALTH TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT Salome Mwaura – The Association of Medical Engineering of Kenya (AMEK)


Health technology management in Kenya


There are many issues surrounding health technology management in Kenya which need to be tackled to allow medical equipment and devices to fulfil their potential of being useful tools in the attainment of health-related goals in the region.


Medical equipment and devices are those that have been developed to solve a health problem and improve quality of life. Healthcare providers require medical


devices for effective and efficient prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of illness and disease. Therefore, medical devices are indispensable tools in the attainment of health-related goals, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set by the United Nations Development Programme. The importance of medical devices led the World Health Organization (WHO) to expand its scope and replace the term with that of ‘health technologies’ which


is now widely used in the modern healthcare environment. Today, health technology (HT) is defined


as the application of organised knowledge and skills in the form of devices, medicine, vaccines, procedures and systems, developed to solve a health problem and improve quality of life. Examples include electrosurgical machines, autoclaves, patient monitors (such as electrocardiograms, thermometers and pulse oximetry), defibrillators, CT technology, ultrasonography, MRI technology, laser technology and digital X-ray imaging, to name a few. Targets of HT are to improve the quality of


health delivery services, as well as improving efficiency and effectiveness, reducing cost, improving accessibility of healthcare services, and also meeting the objectives of the health service providers. There are many challenges relating to HT.


There is a life cycle to consider. This will include development, production, installation, commissioning and training, operation, maintenance and repair, decommissioning, disposal and replacement. Each stage needs to be managed properly to ensure quality of performance and safety of patients and users. Proper management will also help to prolong HT life span and ensure the best value for money. HTs can also be very expensive and, if they are not properly managed, the results can be wastage, reduced or no impact on the burden of diseases and the HT may not function properly.


Patients in Kenya are becoming increasingly aware of their health rights.


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The role of biomedical engineering In Kenya, HT life cycle management is a big headache. Whereas clinical engineers deal specifically with the maintenance and management of clinical equipment – equipment used directly on patients, such as anaesthetic machines and defibrillators – biomedical engineers deal with the maintenance and management of all clinical equipment in addition to other equipment not directly used on patients such as hospital trolleys, bedside lockers, electrical works and plants, civil works and


‘There is an urgent need for policy and guidelines – both operational and managerial and relating to the donation of used medical equipment.’


systems, and mechanical works and plants. The majority of developing countries


today are only able to afford biomedical engineering staff, to whom all these duties are usually assigned. Biomedical engineering in these regions is a multidisciplinary field comprising of electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer engineering, information technology, industrial engineering, civil engineering and architecture and wherever else knowledge needs to be applied to solve a health technology problem.


HT planning A well-used phrase says ‘if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail’. This rings true for HT. For proper HT management there needs be a work plan in place which must at least, consist of the following: • Proper inventory record. • Basic management. • Training plan (user and technical). • Installation plan. • Maintenance plan (PPM chart and


Salome Mwaura


Salome Mwaura is a senior medical engineering technologist working at Mbagathi District Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. She has worked with the Ministry of Health for the last 15 years and has experience in management, repair and maintenance of medical and hospital equipment.


She is the chairperson of the Association of Medical Engineering of Kenya (AMEK) and holds a Higher National Diploma in Medical Engineering from Kenya Medical Training College.


IFHE DIGEST 2013


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