Consultative workshop to develop Biomedical Equipment Management Guideline held

20 January | Pokhara, Gandaki province - The Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) and WHO Country Office for Nepal jointly organized a two-day consultative workshop from 9-10 January to develop a guideline for effective and sustainable biomedical equipment management. Fifty biomedical engineers and technicians; health officials from federal, provincial and district levels; public health officers; policymakers and representatives from academic institutions and hospitals participated to establish a comprehensive management framework, focusing on enhancing lifecycle management, improving donation practices and streamlining logistics. This participatory approach refined and enriched the draft guideline, aiming to improve resource allocation, better functionality of medical equipment and reduced downtime for critical medical devices, ultimately ensuring better patient care across Nepal’s health-care facilities. WHO will now support a finalization workshop to integrate feedback from the testing phase, develop Standard Operating Procedures and training materials, and implement national capacity-building programmes.

The opening ceremony was chaired by Dr Pawan Jung Rayamajhi, Director of the Management Division, MoHP. The event featured Dr Binod Bindu Sharma, Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Gandaki Province, as the chief guest, alongside Dr Rekha Poudel, Director General of the Provincial Health Logistic Management Center. Additional dignitaries included Dr Roshan Pokharel, Secretary of the MoHP, and Mr Khim Bahadur Khadka, Director General of the province’s health directorate, who provided their insights and guidance on the first day.