Equipment training vital

By GLORIA BAUAI
AN Australian medical procurement company has observed an extreme need for upskilling of technical expertise in Papua New Guinea’s health sector.
Sens Matai of Premier Biomedical Engineering said while the National Government had invested a lot in procurement, the ongoing sustainability of equipment was a concern.
Matai said end-users needed proper education on how to use specialised equipment to avoid user error and faults.
“That’s where you see that machines can only be operational for two to three years, but that doesn’t mean the machines procured were of low quality; rather it may be because the users were not aware of its correct use,” he said.
Premier Biomedical Engineering is an Australian company with offices in Sydney and Port Moresby, specialising in being a one-stop shop for all biomedical engineering requirements.
The company’s PNG office has a K20 million contract with the Enga government to procure medical equipment for its new general hospital.
Matai, who is the PNG manager, said the company had incorporated this service into its package.
“Since we are locally-based, we have an arrangement to build up local capacity,” he said.
“Medical equipment is a bridge where you have patients on one side and technicians on the other.”