Situational Analysis Tool
Achieve Comprehensive Efficiency in Healthcare Delivery
The Situational Analysis tool by Oxygen Alliance is designed to provide a deep understanding of the factors influencing the maintenance of biomedical equipment in healthcare settings. Our goal is to enhance healthcare delivery by addressing maintenance challenges, ensuring necessary resources, and training personnel for effective equipment management.
20000
Total Bed Capacity
94
Healthcare Facilities Assesed
6
Partnerships with Ministries of Health
Transforming Medical Equipment, Management
Data-Driven Situational Analysis for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
83% of LMIC hospitals report preventable equipment downtime – our situational analysis identifies systemic solutions.
Four Goals of Analysis
1 Workforce: Mapping the Talent on the Ground
An evaluation of biomedical engineering personnel is conducted to determine the workforce composition and distribution across health facilities. This analysis identifies significant deficiencies, including the finding that one-third of the assessed facilities have no biomedical engineer and that numerous established posts remain unfilled. The resulting data informs targeted strategies for professional development and recruitment to address these workforce gaps.
2 Infrastructure: Investigating the Foundation for Repair
The effectiveness of skilled technicians is contingent upon a conducive and properly equipped work environment. The physical infrastructure of maintenance departments is assessed, revealing that a majority of facilities lack requisite elements such as dedicated repair areas, secure storage for spare parts, and designated quarantine spaces for non-functional equipment. Pinpointing these foundational gaps is a critical prerequisite for establishing functional and efficient workshops.
3 Equipment: Auditing the Equipment Reality
A comprehensive audit is undertaken to ascertain the true operational status of essential medical devices. The assessment reveals a significant discrepancy between presumed and actual functionality; for instance, nearly one-third of tested oxygen concentrators were found to be operating below the WHO-recommended 82% concentration. By quantifying the high proportion of broken anesthesia machines and sterilizers, the audit provides an accurate depiction of equipment uptime across the health system.
4 Maintenance and Repair Readiness: Closing the Loop
An assessment of operational excellence is performed to identify systemic failures in maintenance activities. The analysis reveals critical gaps in readiness, including a near-total absence of essential spare parts for oxygen concentrators in most facilities and an "alarmingly low" average operational score. Furthermore, it was found that established processes such as Planned Preventive Maintenance often have low-to-zero execution, highlighting fundamental deficiencies in operational systems.