Replace a system
A decision to replace a system should be based on the following factors:
- Replacement due to either inadequacy, where the system no longer has the capacity to meet the level of demand of performance and services expected of it
- Owing to obsolescence - a new product is available that gives better service, improves patient care and gives better performance
- Because of high failure rate and the system requiring excessive repairs/ maintenance
The entire planning of this starts right from the time of purchase planning and continues through its installation/ commissioning stage, right till the time the equipment is ready to be written off. The concept of maintenance, as practiced in several advanced environments covers preventive maintenance, breakdown maintenance and monitoring of system efficiency. No doubt the ideal situation is to have zero fault/ zero breakdown, with nil inventory of spare parts and nil documentation/ paper work. Though impossible to achieve in the present day context, it is no doubt worth aspiring for and working towards.
Every maintenance has a cost comprising spares and manpower forming the direct cost, followed by additional costs and penalty costs. It is required of every maintenance engineer to optimise these costs. If a systematic and logical approach is adopted in hospital planning, with equipment in mind, a method can be devised whereby foreseeable maintenance problems can be eliminated at the very inception. This way a maintenance prevention program is incorporated in the hospital project.
