The Oyo State Commissioner for Health, Dr Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, today stressed the need for the availability of trained biomedical engineers in Nigerian hospitals. According to Ajetunmobi, most medical equipment in hospitals does not undergo proper maintenance due to the absence of well-trained biomedical engineers.
She made this known at the ongoing 4th National Oxygen Coordination Meeting organised by the Nigerian government and development partners in Abuja today.
Nigeria is currently facing a significant shortage of biomedical engineers, with estimates suggesting fewer than 0.05 biomedical engineers per 10,000 people, translating to about 280 biomedical engineers nationwide.
Addressing the shortage, the Nigerian government has established specialised biomedical engineering departments in universities, provided financial support for research and development, and launched training programmes to enhance skills and knowledge. They also collaborated with international institutions to improve educational standards and promote innovation in biomedical engineering.
