In a move to curb wastage and cut avoidable costs, Kebbi State takes a key step towards developing technical capacity in Biomedical Engineering

Kebbi State Government and the Ministry of Health under the leadership of Hon Jafaru Muhammad launched a specialized hands on training program on 7/07/2020. The program was set up to train medical equipment maintenance and repairs engineers with the aim of ensuring a reduced downtime of medical devices in the state hospitals for effective health care services.

The relevance of this can not be overemphasized in reducing the ministry’s burden of outsourcing engineers for the indispensable need to service equipment, reduction in wastage as it dissuades dumping of devices that only need fixing.
And strengthening the facilities in service delivery.

Moreover, in February 2017 Nigeria decried lack of enough biomedical engineers in the country. Looking at the number of hospitals it is difficult to say that we have gotten around that problem in 3 years especially in the northwest region. This training will, therefore, help breach that gap.

In line with this, a total of 14 candidates undergo this training from out of the 36 shortlisted of the 159 total applicants. These candidates were equitably drawn from the 4 emirates of kebbi state.

The training is expected to last for 12 weeks in which 10 weeks are dedicated to theoretical and practical hands on training. While the rest of the 2 weeks for assessment.

Starting with areas of basic equipment to the much more advanced devices, the training has typically exposed each trainee to the skills required to be able to individually perform acceptance test and inspections to confirm the genuineness of devices; electrical safety testing, fault finding and servicing of the equipment in accordance with manufacturers guidelines.

In addition, they are also being trained on how to carry out medical device preventative maintenance, troubleshooting and repairs on such equipment as x-ray devices, CT scanner, ultrasound machines, Laboratory equipment, Anesthetic machines, Diathermy machines,

Operating theatre lamps and tables, Suction machines, Oxygen concentrators, Blood pressure units, neonatal incubators etc. As well as equipment asset management system.
The more advanced devices being studied include Sphygmomanometers both mercury type and digital, stethoscope, weighing scales, suction machines both manual and electrical, Oxygen concentrators, Sterilizers, Theatre lamps, Diathermy machine, theatre beds, anaesthetic machines, microscopes, dialysis machines, ventilatorsXray, CT scan to mention a few.

According to the lead trainer Engr Umar, the trainees had toured some general hospitals across the state with the aim to carry out installations of uninstalled devices, repairs and servicing of equipment on site. Some of the devices repaired over the course of this tour include Electrical suction machine, Microscope, Theatre lamps. Oxygen concentrator, weighing scales, sphygmomanometers, hospital beds installation and x- ray unit.

“I am happy to report that these repairs were carried out by the trainees themselves, our team only supervised them. This is a great achievement considering the fact that all these devices were not in active service prior to the visits.”

Engr Umar also announced that the candidates were taken on an excursion to UDUTH Sokoto, and specialist hospital Sokoto dialysis centre.

“We appreciate His Excellency the Executive Governor of Kebbi State, Sen Abubakar Atiku Bagudu and Her Excellency Dr Zainab Atiku Bagudu for the groundswell support for this training to take place. We further appreciate the entire management of the Kebbi State Ministry of Health for their support in facilitating this training progression.”

To complement all of the above, he adds, ”a fully equipped Biomedical workshop has already been established by the state government and His Excellency Executive Governor has approved the appointment of 8 candidates so far into the biomedical unit of the Ministry of Health”.

MUKTAR ABUBAKAR BAGUDO
SSA TO KEBBI STATE GOVERNOR