Health service delivery
Medical supplies and equipment for primary health care: a practical resource for procurement and management
Choosing medical supplies with care: a comprehensive guide
Authors:
M. Kaur; S. Hall
Publisher:
ECHO International Health Services Ltd, 2009
Choosing supplies and equipment is often given little thought or attention. This can result in procurement of inappropriate supplies and equipment. Items can be inappropriate because they are technically unsuitable or incompatible with existing equipment, because accessories or spare parts are not available, or because staff have not been trained to use them. This book provides criteria and guidelines for procurement of healthcare equipment, as well as new low-cost technologies for primary health care.
The 3 sections of the book are organised as follows:
- Section 1 – provides a checklist of criteria to guide selection of supplies and equipment. These are:
Need
Quality
Source
Material
Appropriateness
Costs
Use and maintenance
Disposable or reusable - Section 2 – provides practical guidelines about procurement, including deciding what quantities to order, choosing a supplier, and dealing with donations of supplies and equipment. It also looks at management, including keeping records, maintaining supplies and equipment in good condition and disposing of waste
- Section 3 – includes information about essential supplies and equipment for primary health care services, with specific lists of the items required for activities carried out by most primary health care facilities. This section also describes new developments in the field of medical supplies and equipment.
