An international strategy in medical equipment maintenance

In many developing countries, the growth in maintenance services has lagged far behind the rate of increase in medical equipment use. Urgent attention to maintenance services is required by district health facilities supporting primary healthcare. To date, most international assistance has been devoted to training technicians who are usually associated with major hospitals. A change of strategy is necessary to place priority on training technicians and on strengthening capabilities to maintain basic, essential medical equipment in district health facilities. Not only would such an approach meet urgent current needs, it would take less time to benefit a larger sector of the population, and it can also facilitate the development of higher maintenance capabilities. The advantages are illustrated by examining an empirical model. This strategy is in full support of the global goal to achieve "Health for All by The Year 2000."