Acting Deputy Director General of the Biomedical Engineering Services Division of the Ministry of Health S.A. Janapriya Karunatilake said due to requests made by his department during the COVID-19 pandemic, the country was able to obtain medical equipment worth around Rs. 8 billion as aid.
He said these equipment were instrumental in giving effective and timely interventions to patients and thereby keeping the death toll down.
“Our division plays a major role in the Ministry of Health. Accordingly, we work 24 hours a day. We did a great service silently day and night during the COVID-19 epidemic. We never sought publicity,” he said when queried about the contribution of his department during a visit to Delgoda area.
Division of Biomedical Engineering services according to Karunatilake is responsible for, Medical Equipment Technology Assessment and Planning, Medical equipment Acquisition, Medical Equipment Installation, Commissioning, Service & Maintenance, Training of End-users and Technical Staff and Medical equipment management in Government Hospitals in the Country.
“In the face of the epidemic, we had a great need for medical equipment. But we had a problem getting those medical equipment. In the face of this challenge, we used Zoom technology to liaise with international and private organizations involved in the medical field and make them aware. We contacted relevant organizations spread across 72 countries around the world. Through that we were able to obtain medical equipment worth Rs. 8 billion,” he said.
Karunatilake said some institutions were ready to give money to buy medical equipment but his department never accepted and always requested medical equipment.
“That is how we acted in a very transparent manner. Accordingly the medical equipment we got helped medical professional to save precious lives. One day at around 10 p.m. I received a phone call from IDH Government Hospital. They said that four young children who had contracted COVID-19 were admitted to the hospital. They said they needed some special machines that made it easier for patients to breathe. We were given four of those machines from international medical institutions. We promptly sent those machines and they helped to save the lives of those young children. This is just one example of the role we have played”.
He said his unit provided the medical equipment received by the unit to all government hospitals in the island on demand.
“We were able to successfully perform these services due to the hard work of the staff in our division. We recently held a ceremony to acknowledge and appreciate their commitment and hard work. In the face of the epidemic, our sector workersdid not go on strike. Our staff worked round the clock with dedication and commitment”.
He said currently, his Division maintains assets worth of Rs.200 Billion.
“There are more than 500,000 units from more than 1,000 manufacturers and more than 5,000 models are in use in government hospitals. At present, approximately 120 technical people including 13 engineers are available for carrying out the management of these large numbers of equipment, scattered all over the country. Annually, the government allocates approximately Rs.5 Billion for the acquisition of medical equipment and Rs.1.5 Billion for the maintenance of available resources. The division is headed by Deputy Director General, Biomedical Engineering Services. The division contains several workshops, administrative branch, accounts branch and warehouses located at 27, De Saram Place, Colombo 10.
During the COVID pandemic period, we have supplied essential medical equipment worth of Rs. 10 Billion for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
