This archive report was first published on 9 August 2019.
On August 8, 2019, GE Healthcare and the Association of Medical Engineering of Kenya (AMEK) hosted the inaugural Biomedical Excellence Day in Kenya, marking a significant milestone in the country's healthcare sector.
The event, which attracted biomedical engineers from both government and private health centers across Kenya's 47 counties, was a collaborative effort between local and international experts.
According to GE Healthcare, the Biomedical Excellence Day aimed to provide biomedical engineers with the latest information and knowledge on the use of advanced medical equipment.
"The full day event also provided a platform for knowledge sharing to foster best practices in maintenance of healthcare systems," the firm added.
Biomedical engineering is a multidisciplinary field that combines biology and engineering, applying engineering principles and materials to medicine and healthcare.
Healthcare professionals who study biomedical engineering require a strong foundation in subjects such as maths, chemistry, physics, computer programming, molecular biology, and genetics.
GE Healthcare East Africa Managing Director Andrew Waititu emphasized the importance of continuous training for healthcare professionals, stating, "We believe that in order to provide sustainability of healthcare solutions, training programs for healthcare professionals need up-dating to remain relevant to their practice and to reflect advances in healthcare innovations."
GE Healthcare has been committed to supporting the training of healthcare professionals in Kenya, having launched a Ksh1.3 billion Healthcare Skills and Training Institute in June 2016 in collaboration with the government.
Since its inception, the institute has trained over 1,600 professionals, including biomedical engineers.
AMEK Secretary-General Eng. Millicent Alooh highlighted the significance of training in the latest medical technologies, saying, "Training in the latest medical technologies is critical for Biomedical Engineering professionals to efficiently provide quality Healthcare technology management to Kenyans through treatment, consultation, diagnosis, monitoring, administration, equipment preventive maintenance, surgery among other services."
