Maintenance of biomedical equipment is largely underfunded and given little priority in West Africa.  In many research and health facilities in the region, there is an abundance of expensive equipment, but little thought goes into prolonging its life through preventive maintenance. A well maintained machine can last ten years in a hospital; without maintenance the same machine may function for three years or less. The EDCTP-funded West African Nodes of Excellence for TB AIDS and Malaria (WANETAM) project has prioritised the building of biomedical engineering capacity in the sub-region. Recently, MRC Unit The Gambia’s Biomedical Engineering Department hosted technicians and managers from five countries in West Africa.  Head of Biomedical Engineering, Martin Manzi said ‘This is the first training of its kind at The Unit and allows us to highlight our excellent technicians and broad experience.’  Before the training, Martin and colleagues made assessment visits to the sites, enabling the team to get a general overview in preparation for the training.

Participants were split into two groups: laboratory managers and technicians, with Martin heading the training stream for managers. He said ‘we included presentations on biomedical equipment maintenance & Health Technology Management (HTM), equipment managements tools, policies, SOPs, procedures, maintenance budgeting, GCLP and procurement. For the technicians, the focus was on operational principles, handling and maintenance of major equipment used in laboratories and on maintenance and repair, with an emphasis on hands-on training.’

For most of the participants, it was the first time that they had participated in such a programme.  And the potential barrier of addressing a mixed Anglophone, Francophone and Lusophone constituency was handled adeptly, with translators on hand.

The programme will be followed up by visits to the sites in six months’ time to evaluate progress. Martin said ‘We’ll consult and make recommendations, maybe proposing another training programme or a refresher course.  In fact, my main recommendation would be the training of a senior biomedical engineer for all the sites, as none of them have one at present.’

What the participants said
Ms Isatou Jallow, Principal Laboratory Scientist – National Public Health Laboratory, The Gambia ‘Very very useful.  A unique thing about this training is that it brought laboratory managers and biomed/laboratory technicians together. The technicians need the support of management, as we have to work hand in hand.  It’ll be good to implement the things we’ve learned when I go back, and from now on the technicians will have management’s support. In fact,  I intend to help develop a policy that will go up to the ministerial level to be validated.’

Ms Nadie Coulibaly, Biomedical Technician, Serifo Laboratory, Bamako, Mali.  ‘The training was very useful.  Now I’ll be able to do a lot of preventive maintenance.  I’ve improved my English too.  It’s been very helpful because I’ve met people from other countries who’ll be contacts in the future.’