Tertiary hospitals chart path to enhance biomedical engineering

Stakeholders in five health institutions under the aegis of Federal Schools of Biomedical Engineering Technology (FSBMETs) at the weekend gathered for a two-day quarterly meeting to brainstorm on the progress as well as the challenges affecting the Biomedical Engineering Technology (BMET) in Nigeria.

The event, which featured resource persons and stakeholders from different health institutions including: Ahmadu Bello University (ABUTH), University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Enugu, University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), and University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), was in collaboration with GE Healthcare Foundation – an organisation run by Duke University, North Carolina.

Chief Managing Director (CMD) of LUTH, Prof. Chris Bode, in his welcome address said the establishment of Biomedical Engineering Technology was borne in response to the acute need in the country.

Bode said LUTH being one of the best hospitals in Nigeria, is in direct collaboration with GE Foundation Healthcare to train students on how to use their engineering skills to innovate and find creative solutions to global health challenges.

The CMD enumerated challenges facing the institution to include incomplete permanent site, accreditation by the National Board of Technical Education (NBTE) and the need for a fulfilling career path for diplomats, among others.

Representative of the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH), Dr. Patience Osinubi stated the significance of the event, saying that the programme will eventually accelerate training of workforce that will bridge the existing gap and inadequate capacity to manage medical devices in our various healthcare institutions in Nigeria.