Employed primarily by hospitals, BMETs are the people responsible for maintaining a facility's medical equipment. BMET mainly act as an interface between doctor and equipment. Medical equipment donation There are challenges surrounding the availability of medical equipment from a global health perspective, with low-resource countries unable to obtain or afford essential and life-saving equipment. In these settings, well-intentioned equipment donation from high- to low-resource settings is a frequently used strategy to address this through individuals, organisations, manufacturers and charities. However, issues with maintenance, availability of biomedical equipment technicians (BMET), supply chains, user education and the appropriateness of donations means these frequently fail to deliver the intended benefits. The WHO estimates that 95% of medical equipment in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is imported and 80% of it is funded by international donors or foreign governments. While up to 70% of medical equipment in sub-Saharan Africa is donated, only 10%–30% of donated equipment becomes operational. A review of current practice and guidelines for the donation of medical equipment for surgical and anaesthesia care in LMICs has demonstrated a high level of complexity within the donation process and numerous shortcomings. Greater collaboration and planning between donors and recipients is required together with evaluation of donation programs and concerted advocacy to educate donors and recipients on existing equipment donation guidelines and policies Academic resources Medical & Biological Engineering & Computing journal Expert Review of Medical Devices journal Journal of Clinical Engineering University-based research packaging institutes University of Minnesota - Medical Devices Center (MDC) University of Strathclyde - Strathclyde Institute of Medical Devices (SIMD) Flinders University - Medical Device Research Institute (MDRI) Michigan State University - School of Packaging (SoP) IIT Bombay - Biomedical Engineering and Technology (incubation) Centre (BETiC) See also Assistive technology Clinical engineer Design history file Durable medical equipment Electromagnetic compatibility Electronic health record Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices GHTF Health Level 7 Home medical equipment Instruments used in general medicine List of common EMC test standards Medical grade silicone Medical logistics Medical technology Pharmacopoeia Safety engineer Telemedicine References Further reading External links Health care