Telangana Health Minister Mandates Centralized Biomedical Unit, Sets Strict Repair Timelines

Hyderabad: Health minister Damodar Rajanarsimha directed officials to set up a centralised biomedical engineering unit, with sub-units in the districts, and issued a timeline to ensure that equipment with the department as in working order. The minister said hospital superintendents would be held responsible for ensuring that all equipment remains operational.

Hospital technicians and electricians would be trained on first-level maintenance. When any machine requires repair, the hospital superintendent must inform the sub-unit and the head office within an hour. Within six hours, a biomedical engineer must visit the hospital to assess and diagnose the problem. For minor repairs, issues should be resolved at the hospital level within one day. For major repairs, the resolution must be completed within three days. If spare parts are required, the equipment supplier must be notified to arrange repair without delay.

He formed a committee to be headed by NIMS director Dr N. Beerappa to prepare a standard list specifying the required equipment for each hospital. He said procurements in the new TIMS hospitals and the Warangal Super Speciality Hospital should be future-ready.

Rajanarsimha directed officials ensure that hospitals were stocked with medicines, particularly in view of the seasonal disease burden. He said that sample collection should be carried out at every PHC for all patients requiring investigations, with reports to be delivered within 24 hours.