Donation of medical devices in low-income countries: preliminary results from field studies

Abstract

Most of the world population is being treated in low-income countries, where there are not only harsh environmental conditions but also a failure to meet international standards and minimum requirements of the medical devices and locations. This can jeopardize the safe and efficient functioning of the medical devices. This paper draws on 5 field studies that took place in Sub-Saharan Africa, presenting few examples of donated medical devices and discussing the possible steps in order to strive for a more universal free healthcare coverage.