ISTM & hospital partners training Nigerian engineers: A boost for biomedical engineering in Africa

Biomedical Engineering (BME) is by its very nature a multidisciplinary occupation. It reaches from basic research into human physiology, through the development of devices and novel treatments for disease, to the translation and sustainable use of medical devices in the healthcare arena. An important area of BME is clinical engineering and the management of medical devices. Technology plays an increasingly important role in the delivery of healthcare services, and the proper management of medical technology is essential for ensuring the safe and efficient use of medical devices.

Left to Right: Kabiru Abdullahi; Dave Butler; Abdullahi Mu'azu Gigane; Garba Mohammed Ladan; Ed Chadwick; Aminu Sani; and Translate’s very own, Joseph Clarke.

The BME programme at Keele enjoys close links with the University Hospitals of North Midlands (UHNM), a relationship that has been built over the last 15 years that the course has been running. In recent years, the course has seen a growing interest in BME from students from a number of African countries including Uganda, Ghana and Nigeria. Many African hospitals now have substantial inventories of medical equipment, allowing them to deliver advanced patient care, and are realising the importance of properly managing that equipment to ensure the long-term viability of their clinical services.

Last year, a high-level delegation from Usman Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, in Sokoto, Nigeria visited Keele. They came to see the facilities we have to offer at the Institute for Science & Technology in Medicine (ISTM) and the Medical School, as well as the close links with UHNM and the support provided by the Clinical Technology Department led by Mr David Butler. This visit was initiated by a former student of our BME Masters programme, Mr Umar Mohammed, who impressed his managers with his ability to implement the skills he had learned here at Keele on his return to Sokoto.

A memorandum of understanding was subsequently signed between the Nigerian Hospital and Keele University to provide a customised, three-month training programme in Biomedical Engineering through ISTM, the School of Medicine and the Department of Clinical Technology at UHNM.

The first cohort of visiting engineers from Sokoto in Nigeria completed their training in Biomedical Engineering in December 2014. The trainees followed modules in Physiological Measurement and Medical Equipment Management, and spent four weeks on clinical placement at UHNM with a short training visit at our other hospital partner, the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) in Oswestry. The first four trainees to complete the programme, Aminu Sani Sokoto, Garba Ladan, Abdullahi Mu'azu Gigane and Kabiru Abdullahi, are shown below receiving their certificates with Dr Ed Chadwick, Program Lead, Mr Joseph Clark, Programme Administrator and Mr Dave Butler, Head of Clinical Technology at UHNM.

Building on this solid start to our relationship with Usman Danfodiyo, the hospital has sent another student to study for the MSc this year, and is currently discussing options for PhD studies and staff exchange. Keele is proud to be playing a role in the development of BME services by supporting educational provision in Nigeria.