The Mahabir Pun-led National Innovation Centre has repaired 484 medical devices that had been out of service in various government hospitals for a long time. The restored equipment, valued at around Rs243 million, has been brought back into operation, providing much-needed relief to hospitals and patients.

The centre repaired 36 ventilators, 23 dialysis machines, seven anaesthesia machines, 10 video X-ray machines, and eight medical autoclaves. It also restored 18 blood pressure monitors, 30 ECG machines, and 55 patient monitors.

Additionally, the centre fixed dental and surgical equipment, laboratory machines for plasma separation, and ICU/CCU equipment. Other repaired devices include OT lights and tables, infusion pumps, ICU and patient beds, microscopes, syringe pumps, defibrillators, and other critical medical devices.

Hospitals benefiting from the repairs include Sahid Gangalal National Heart Centre, Bir Hospital, Kanti Children’s Hospital, Sahid Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, Mental Hospital Patan, Bheri Hospital in Nepalgunj, Narayani Hospital in Birgunj, GP Koirala National Centre for Respiratory Diseases in Tanahun, Bharatpur Hospital in Chitwan, and Karnali Academy of Health Sciences in Jumla. The repaired equipment were procured from China, the US, Germany, India, South Korea, and the Netherlands.

In August last year, Health Minister Pradeep Paudel and Innovation Centre chair Mahabir Pun signed an agreement to repair and manage medical equipment in 17 federal hospitals. Following the agreement, a team of biomedical engineers inspected 660 stored devices and prepared a report. Of these, 176 still require spare parts for repair.

The Innovation Centre stated that they can repair the remaining machines as well if the Health Ministry or the respective hospitals provide necessary spare parts. Health Ministry spokesperson Dr Prakash Budhathoki said hospitals needing spare parts could request a budget for procurement. “If parts need to be imported, the government can facilitate the process,” he said. “If unavailable in the market, hospitals will be directed to auction them.”

Dr Yuva Nidhi Basaula, director of Sahid Sukraraj Hospital, said the centre’s engineers had recently submitted a report on spare parts requirements. “We will hold discussions and decide soon,” he said.

A team of 20 engineers led by biomedical engineer Umesh Kirati conducted the repairs. Kirati said many devices had been left unused due to minor faults. “Some machines were out of service simply because of power supply issues or dead batteries. Others had damaged wiring due to rodents,” he said. “We even made spare parts, like baby warmer components and door locks, to restore machines.”

According to Kirati, repairing these machines at minimal cost has saved hospitals a significant amount of money. “Many hospitals would have spent millions purchasing new equipment, but we were able to restore them with simple fixes,” he said.

Malfunctioning medical equipment had severely impacted patients, particularly those needing ICU care and ventilators, forcing them to seek expensive treatment at private hospitals. Hospital officials said bringing these devices back into operation had significantly relieved patients, reducing financial and logistical burdens.

Officials cited procurement commissions as a major reason for delays in repairing equipment. Many hospitals reportedly prioritise purchasing new devices over repairing existing ones due to financial incentives.

According to the Innovation Centre, a shortage of biomedical engineers has also contributed to equipment remaining out of service for extended periods. Many hospitals lack technical staff to identify and address minor faults.

The centre plans to repair devices at the Patan Academy of Health Sciences, the National Trauma Centre, the BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences in Dharan, and the Rapti Academy of Health Sciences in Dang.