Need for Attention to the Role of Medical Equipment Managers in the Health System

Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Foreign Exchange Savings in Patient Treatment said: The decision to procure a capital device must be accompanied by a review of treatment needs, the capacity of existing equipment, and the readiness of the center for installation and operation.

According to Ambassador Arjan Seyyed Mohammad Hossein Safavi, in the second conference of capital medical equipment managers of the country's universities and faculties of medical sciences, which was held at the same time as the Iran Fashion 2026 exhibition in Shahr Aftab, he said, referring to one of the past experiences: At one point, capital equipment worth more than 64 million euros had been purchased and had not yet been installed and commissioned. With the efforts of the Ministry of Health and the Vice-Chancellor of Treatment and the support of medical universities, a significant part of this equipment was installed and launched. This experience showed that providing credit and purchasing the device, without evaluating the site's facilities and predicting the operating conditions, alone does not lead to service provision.

He added: The doctor and the treatment team determine the clinical need and expected service. In addition to this declaration of need, the medical equipment manager must check what devices are available in the center and surrounding centers, how much their capacity is used, the number of patients and how far they are from similar services, and what technical specifications the device in question needs. This evaluation helps to clarify whether purchasing a new device, repairing or setting up an existing device, or better utilizing the capacity of the treatment network is a more appropriate response to patients' needs.

Safavi continued: Before purchasing, medical engineers should also check the readiness of the location of the device in terms of space, electricity and other technical infrastructure, installation conditions, manpower required for operation, training, after-sales service and access to parts. The results of these investigations must be provided to the university administrators along with the opinion of the treatment team so that the final decision is correct from the point of view of treatment and can be implemented and continued.

The head of the board of trustees for saving foreign currency in treating patients emphasized: the role of medical equipment managers does not end with the delivery of the device. Monitoring the amount of equipment usage, identifying the cause of equipment stoppage and planning for repair and maintenance is a part of the capital management that the health system has spent to provide services to patients.

Appreciating the efforts of colleagues in the field of medical equipment and referring to the experiences of the formation of the activities of the board of trustees in the years of holy defense, he emphasized on using the knowledge and experience of this group in responding to the needs of today's health system.

In the end, Safavi said: the desired result of investing in medical equipment is not just buying and delivering the device; The device must be installed in the right place, put into operation and provide continuous and reliable service to the patient.