Nick Simons Institute





















	BMET Training Apllicants

	MDGP Scholarship
	Nepal CME

NSI Trainings

Biomedical Equipment Technicians

Nepal's government hospitals are often graveyards for old (and not so old) equipment that no one can repair. The government purchases or receives in donation some costly piece of equipment, which the hospital staff is thrilled to get. Then some months or years later, it breaks. The manual has been lost, and even if it were there, no one in the busy little hospital is trained to perform the repair. The equipment is relegated to a backroom, and the hospital loses that capability for care.

This happens with X-ray machines, lab analyzers, or complex surgical equipment - but it also could be something as simple as a blood pressure apparatus or a refrigerator for medicine that is rendered unusable. The problem is dire in rural locations where repair shops are a long journey away. But even Kathmandu's national Bir Hospital has the same problem. There is simply no one trained in biomedical repair, much less in preventive maintenance.

In 2003, three progressive minds came together. Professor Sam Topham from America had come to Nepal with a vision for pioneering the biomedical repair cadre in this country. He eventually met Dr. Upendra Devkota, a courageous Health Minister who was sincerely working for health care improvement. Together they met Mr. Arjun Singh, then Director of the National Health Care Training Center, who became the champion for Biomedical Equipment Technician Training (BMET).

In 2006, the first course of 20 graduated from the training conducted by BMET director Mr. Bhawi Gurung and his team. These were all government workers, and 11 of them left to return to posts outside the Kathmandu valley. As training of the second group of BMET students approaches, NSI is partnering to provide needed development of training facilities and equipment, administrative support, and marketing for the sustainability of the course.

Facts About the Training

Entry	High school graduate Basic college training in science
Length	1 year
Place	Engineering Campus National Health Care Training Campus
Skills acquired	Able to conduct a preventive maintenance program in a hospital, and to perform basic repair on a range of equipment.
Relevance	In 2004, Nepal's government accepted this need and started the first program in the country. More than 50% of the first graduates are now working outside Kathmandu.