THIS is apropos of Engineer Balach Hussain’s letter, ‘Biomedical engineering: neglected profession’ (Feb 7). While I fully agree with the writer’s views, I would also like to state that there are many reasons for this profession not gaining much attention though it involves sophisticated machinery like those used in many other fields.
Most of the electro-medical apparatus comes in government/public sector organisations where the procurement of such equipment is done without any planning or preparation.
I know many government/public sector organisations where expensive machines keep lying for years. They either rust away or malfunction due to non-installation for such a long period.
Besides, the government tries to copy top-of-the-line hospitals and at times buys high-end machinery. The operators, however, are neither trained nor do the respective doctors have that kind of training on using such equipment.
Furthermore, instead of setting up a full-fledged ‘biomedical engineering’ department (especially in top-level government hospitals), government hospitals totally rely on the supplier who takes his own time and charges exorbitantly to maintain the equipment.
One should take the example of one of the leading and oldest private sector university hospitals in Karachi which has probably set a benchmark in having its own biomedical engineering department ever since its establishment.
They get their engineers trained in the factories abroad on almost every machine they purchase on their own expenses and after the expiry of the warranty period, they carry out the maintenance of the machines themselves for the rest of the equipment’s life.
The other reason for non-recognition of the field of biomedical engineering is the presence of second-hand equipment in the market whose import is officially allowed by the government.
There are many known private sector hospitals which use phased-out secondhand equipment because of its low initial price.But they charge a hefty amount from patients, which is almost at par with private hospitals which use brand new equipment.
Therefore, my humble suggestion is that government/public sector hospitals and all the leading private sector medical colleges/universities should take the lead and establish their own ‘biomedical engineering’ department with experienced staff and they should get their staff factory-trained on the procured machinery.
Secondly, the import of secondhand and refurbished medical equipment should be banned so that we remain abreast with the newest technology in the field, let alone the fact that medical machinery is many times life-saving equipment and should always be brand new.
The government should also allow complete tax exemption on sales and import duty etc of medical equipment so that the level of diagnosis/care for patients increases.
The ratio of medical apparatus import (cost-wise) is almost negligible as compared to other commodities imported every year. Therefore, the government will not lose much of sales tax, import duty, tax, etc., if exempted from such charges on import.
MUHAMMAD ASIFKarachi