Improved biomed support has been identified as priority area by local needs assessments in Uganda.  In addition to frank shortages of equipment, inadequate maintenance and inappropriate donations also pose challenges in Uganda as in many other resource-poor settings.

When GPAS formed in 2007, there were no formal training programs for biomedical engineers (BME) or biomedical engineer technicians (BMET) and only a handful of BME or BMETs in Uganda.

Our biomed projects aim to promote sustainable increases in biomedical equipment and to establish a mechanism of maintenance for equipment in Uganda. Initially this project has centered on Mulago Hospital in Kampala and partnerships with Kyambogo University, Amalthea Trust and numerous biomedical engineers from collaborating institutions.

Current and past projects include:

• Promotion of WHO donation guidelines at Mulago
• Creation and maintenance of biomedical support room for Mulago operating theatres
• Creation of the first  biomedical engineer technician training program in Uganda (Kyambogo University)
• Working to coordinate support to Mulago offered by visiting biomed engineers
• Biomed inventory and needs assessments at Mulago
• Collaborating with BMET and BME programs in East Africa