Today Matt and I visited Tegbare id technical college. It is one of the few colleges in Ethiopia that offers a biomedical technician program.
- “Walking Around Tegbare id College”
Currently there are very few biomedical technicians in Ethiopia. In most hospitals no one preforms routine maintenance or repairs medical devices. This causes many medical equipment to only function for a few years before being resigned to the refuse pile. This really hurts the healthcare system because modern medicine relies on working medical equipment. Fortunately the Ethiopian government has recognized the need for biomedical technicians.
Rice University is collaborating with Tegbare id to help jumpstart biomedical technician program. Tegbare id is in the process of expanding their biomedical technician program. Currently most of the biotechnican students share their classes with electronics students. However Tegbare id is in the process of building new facilities and labs.
- “New Biomedical Technician Classrooms Being Built”
- “Current Biomedical Technician Classroom”
Biomedical technician students practice maintaining and repairing medical devices on old medical equipment that was donated by Black Lion Hospital, the largest referral hospital in Addis. The other departments (such as the electronics department) have simulator devices (such as the TV simulator pictured below) that simulate common breakages.
- “TV Training Simulator. Switches allow the professor to create common faults for the student to figure out and fix.”
Wouldn’t it be snazzy if they had similar training simulators for biotechnicians?