WHAT IS APPROPRIATE

The state of medical equipment and biomedical engineering in LMICs is not optimal; equipment graveyards, inappropriate donations, limited training options for technicians and engineers and high breakdown rates are the standard. Much equipment presently available in health facilities has been designed for home use or high-income settings. No current regulatory body requires adequate testing criteria for the LMIC environment. Traditional procurement systems do not provide access to many technologies that have been designed to address the complexities of LMIC settings.

AME closes the gap between manufacturers of appropriate medical technology and the health systems that benefit from procuring fit for purpose equipment, at both a user- and public tendered-level. AME addresses those gaps that most affect health technology management and device lifetimes by independently testing and awarding an “Appropriate Medical Equipment” label to priority equipment and software that meet standards for:

• Usability • Maintainability • Documentation • Environmental durability • Component durability • Energy demand • Pricing • “Getting stuff”-ability

Priority testing areas include respiratory support, patient monitoring, surgery, neonatal temperature support, nutrition & med delivery, testing equipment and digital tools for health technology management and clinical decision-making.

WHAT CAN WE DO AS ENGINEERS

AME promotes and lifts the biomedical engineering profession in LMICs. We partner with and help build testing labs at strategic LMIC locations, and create jobs and an alternative career path for biomedical engineers and technicians.