The use of Medical Equipment in the developing countries, examples from Bangladesh
Dr Mannan Mridha
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
University of Mälardalen
Box 883, 721 23 Västerås, Sweden


Background

A large number of medical equipment in many of the developing countries’ hospitals is obtained from random donation from the industrialised world and  most of the equipment were found idle or not properly used for various reasons such as lack of training, shortage of consumable and accessories et (Mridha et al 1988,  Hasem Odeh Al, 1995). It is important that the donation programmes evaluate the specific needs and requirements for the equipment, as well as need for  education and training on the use and management of equipment.  It would be interesting to study to what extent the quality of diagnosis and treatment control is effected due to lack of effective use of medical equipment.

Aim of the project

The aim of this project is to study:
1. to what extent  the medical equipment is used for diagnosis and treatment control
2. how the education and training on the use of equipment is provided
3. how the management of medical equipment is conducted
4. the interaction between the medical and clinical engineering personnel and to analyse the results to prepare suggestions for improvement.

Method

The study will be conducted in a developing country, Bangladesh,  during the period of December 20, 1999 to January 20, 2000 and will  cover visits to hospitals at different levels such as: Post Graduate Medical University, Medical College Hospitals, District Medical Hospital and some private clinics.

Supervisors

at Karolinska Institutet: Prof  Håkan Elmqvist
Institutionnen medicinsk laboratorievetenskap och teknik
Avdelning for medicinsk teknik
Novum, F60, 141 86 Huddinge
Tel. +46 8 585 837 55

in the field:    Dr Mannan Mridha (M.Sc.Eng.M.Ed.Ph.D.)
Head, Biomedical Engineering
Deputy Chairman, Dept. of Electrical Engineering
Mälardalens University
Box 883, 721 23 Västerås
tel +46 (0)21 101672, Fax +46 (0)21 101650
E-mail mannan.mridha@mdh.se

References

1) Hasem Odeh Al Fadel (1995) Clinical Engineering issues in Developing countries, The Biomedical Engineering Handbook, CRC press, 2603
2) Mridha, et al (1988). Clinical Engineering Challenges and problems with medical instrumentations in Bangladesh. J Clin Eng 13 (4):275