Planning and Budgeting of Medical Devices among Ethiopian Public Hospitals

Abstract BackgroundPlanning and budgeting of medical devices allow a healthcare institution to properly utilize funds, acquire quality and efficient medical devices, and improve service delivery. Planning and budgeting help to control technology development direction and obtain the right balance within the budget between various needs. Developing countries including Ethiopia have very limited resources for procurement and management of medical devices. Lack of proper policy in the procurement and management of medical devices causes inappropriate utilization of funds and impedes the quality of a product. In this study, a survey was conducted in all regional public hospitals of Ethiopia to assess the current status of the medical devices management system, identify the gaps, and provide suggestions for areas of improvement. MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional design and qualitative approaches were used for the assessment. The qualitative assessment components were structured based on the life cycle of medical devices as recommended by World Health Organization. The quantitative data assessment was used to explore the availability of medical devices policies, guidelines, strategies, development plans, annual plans, and budgets in public hospitals. The involvements of Biomedical Engineers/Technicians in medical devices planning and technical specifications were also explored using the quantitative data collection method. ResultsAccording to this assessment, the availability of medical equipment development plans, budgeting, and spare parts were found to be below 50% in public hospitals. Moreover, this assessment showed that there is no proper medical devices procurement plan and technical specification preparations trend in Ethiopian public hospitals. ConclusionsDeveloping policies, directives, and strategies for proper use of funds in the procurement of medical devices at the national level, involving Biomedical Engineering professionals in the planning, procurement, management, and utilization of medical devices could help to improve the quality, fair distribution, and efficiency of medical devices and ultimately to improve the service delivery in health care facilities.