Telangana for hassle-free healthcare

Hyderabad: To ensure patients have uninterrupted access to vital therapeutic and diagnostic medical equipment in all government hospitals, Telangana government here on Monday announced a series of key interventions including centralised software for repair and maintenance of medical equipment, an exclusive unit of biomedical engineers to provide technical support and release of Rs 17.47 crore […]

Hyderabad: To ensure patients have uninterrupted access to vital therapeutic and diagnostic medical equipment in all government hospitals, Telangana government here on Monday announced a series of key interventions including centralised software for repair and maintenance of medical equipment, an exclusive unit of biomedical engineers to provide technical support and release of Rs 17.47 crore additional funds to Telangana State Medical Services and Infrastructure Development Corporation (TSMSIDC).

The measures are aimed at ensuring long-term and non-stop availability of medical equipment so that healthcare services are not hampered for patients. As part of these efforts, TSMSIDC will launch Medical Equipment and Maintenance Information System (MEMIS), an online software system that will connect all the superintendents and heads of government hospitals to TSMSIDC.

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The MEMIS software will allow the heads of government hospitals to raise online requests for repair and maintenance and at the same time track the progress of resolution and closing of their requests. To further ease this process, the State government has decided to establish a Programme Management Unit (PMU) comprising of biomedical engineers to respond to MEMIS requests and provide technical guidance on equipment. It will comprise a Project Manager, Biomedical Engineers and Data Entry Operators.

To further ease the process of maintenance and repairs, medical equipment have been classified into four categories including those that cost over Rs 5 lakh with Comprehensive Annual Maintenance Contract (CAMC), those requiring CAMC, those with exhausted warranty and CAMC and medical equipment that cost less than Rs 5 lakh.

Annual maintenance of medical equipment with expired warranty and CAMC has been a tricky issue that often leads to inordinate delays in repair, thus disrupting vital healthcare facilities for patients. To address this issue, a committee of senior health officials, including VC, KNRUHS, DME, Commissioner, TVVP and others to negotiate with the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) over annual maintenance, has been established.

The committee will also work out modalities for maintenance of medical equipment costing less than Rs 5 lakh in a decentralised manner at the hospital level. As part of this effort, the State government has also allocated separate maintenance budget for each bed for all PHCs, CHCs, area and district hospitals, teaching and speciality hospitals in Telangana.

 

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