Current Situation and Challenges of Medical Devices in Zambia
TAIZYA Kapenda, LIAN Cuiting, YANG Lin, HAO Dongmei, YANG Yimin, LI Xuwen, ZHANG Song
Beijing International Research Cooperation Base, Intelligent Physiological Measurement and Clinical Transformation,
Facility of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
Abstract：The uneven development of health care in the Republic of Zambia (hereinafter referred to as Zambia) is significant and
the lack of a national policy on medical equipment makes significant challenge to the medical equipment sector, which is responsible
for the implementation of medical technology policy. This paper analyzed the current situation of health and medical equipment in
Zambia, which could provide a reference for medical equipment procurement, donation and equipment end-of-life renewal. The
policies, plans, resources, specifications and guidelines for medical devices developed by the Zambian Ministry of Health through
the Zambian Drug Administration were presented, identifying the prescribed systems to be followed at various points in the medical
device deployment process. The challenges faced by Zambia in relation to medical devices, such as lack of medical equipment, lack
of human resources, inadequate planning and budgeting, and the challenges of equipment procurement, installation, commissioning
and maintenance were step-by-step analyzed. Solutions were proposed, for example, the establishment of a medical equipment
committee to enable clinical engineering staff to manage medical equipment centrally to ensure the safety of clinical staff as well as
patients. Zambia’s capacity to manage and maintain medical equipment remained limited, resulting in the growth of management and
maintenance capacity lagging significantly behind the deployment of medical equipment. These were both areas for Zambia to work
with other countries and parts of itself that need to be improved. This paper can improve the level of medical equipment services in
Zambia and ease the pressure on healthcare.
Taizya Kapenda，廉翠婷，杨琳，郝冬梅，杨益民，李旭雯，张松. 赞比亚医疗器械现状及挑战[J]. 中国医疗设备, 2022, 37(5): 146-149.
TAIZYA Kapenda, LIAN Cuiting, YANG Lin, HAO Dongmei, YANG Yimin, LI Xuwen, ZHANG Song. Current Situation and Challenges of Medical Devices in Zambia. China Medical Devices, 2022, 37(5): 146-149.
