Clinical/Biomedical Engineering & Medical Device Trainings Capacity Assessment Survey in Somaliland

Abstract

The healthcare system in Somaliland was seriously affected and the healthcare facilities were totally destroyed during the Somali civil war in 1991. Somaliland now suffers from a serious shortage of health workers. The availability of biomedical and clinical engineers is critical to ensure proper use and maintenance of medical devices.
The main purpose of this study was to investigate the human resource capacity related to clinical and biomedical training access to inform future interventions for building this capacity in Somaliland. This survey design was cross-sectional and data were collected through an online questionnaire using Google Forms for a period of 1 month, 1st Oct - 1st Nov 2024, and targeted those involved in medical device use, handling, maintenance, import, sales and distribution. Data were entered and analyzed using IBM SPSS and descriptive statistics were presented using Microsoft Excel.
A total of 69 participants responded to the survey. The survey highlighted limited access to training where most hospitals don’t have basic biomedical engineering departments. Major barriers to access of trainings were: lack of funds, institutions’ lack of capacity to deliver the trainings and lack of awareness on the importance of the trainings. According to the responses, there is a high need for CE training particularly maternal and child health, radiology and critical care equipment.
Further comprehensive assessments and studies are needed to assess the current state of the biomedical and clinical engineering sector in Somaliland to give insights on medical device handling and maintenance procedures, human resources and infrastructure as well.