Medical Device Donations: Consideration for Solicitation and Provision

WHO and partners have been working towards devising an agenda, an action plan, tools and guidelines to increase access to appropriate medical devices. This document is part of a series of reference documents being developed for use at the country level. The series will include the following subject areas:
* policy framework for health technology
* medical device regulations
* health technology assessment
* health technology management
* needs assessment of medical devices
* medical device procurement
* medical equipment donations
* medical equipment inventory management
* medical equipment maintenance
* computerized maintenance management systems
* medical device data
* medical device nomenclature
* medical devices by health-care setting
* medical devices by clinical procedures
* medical device innovation, research and development.

These documents are intended for use by biomedical engineers, health managers, donors, nongovernmental organizations and academic institutions involved in health technology at the district, national, regional or global levels.

The health sectors of many developing countries rely significantly on donations of medical devices and medical equipment. Although these donations are generally made with good intentions, the outcomes are not always positive if the donations are not properly planned and coordinated.

This document provides an overview of the issues and challenges surrounding medical device donations, and offers considerations and best practices that may be useful for making and soliciting donations. The document highlights the importance of an active participatory role for the intended recipients of medical equipment donations and emphasizes the importance of treating donations with the same rigor typically applied when purchasing medical equipment.