Equipment and Physical Infrastructure

In the planning of medical imaging services, it is important to consider the minimum requirements of equipment and facilities. In this chapter, ultrasound and X-ray units considered appropriate for rural health centers are considered in terms of image quality, cost and tele-imaging capabilities. Equipment procurement issues such as acquisition schemes, development/review of technical specifications, warranties, and obsolescence issues are discussed. The need for the availability of operation and service manuals as well as replacement parts, accessories and software upgrades throughout the life of the machine is emphasized. Guidance is given on the actual process of acquiring a unit and the site preparations involved, including the various permits needed. Examples of ultrasound equipment for low resource settings and the possibility of having ultrasound probes connected to a personal computer are explored. WHO’s efforts in promoting the development of a versatile, high quality, low maintenance and inexpensive X-ray unit are reviewed.