How Covid-19 affected medical equipment repair and maintenance

As of early May 2020, over 4.7 million people have been confirmed to be infected with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, and the healthcare industry is scrambling to contain its spread. The difficult epidemiological situation resulted in some changes in the field of repair and maintenance of medical equipment. COVID-19 emphasises the refusal by manufacturers to provide information for repairing medical equipment. For years, manufacturers have curtailed the ability of hospitals to independently repair and maintain medical equipment by preventing access to the necessary knowledge, software, tools, and parts. Many service centres address emerging technical issues remotely and use messengers.

The goal is to minimize the downtime of the medical equipment caused by malfunctions. Thus, many service centres decided to provide repair and maintenance services on weekends and holidays (unlike before the pandemic). Some of them even decided to work 24/7. To assist the clients the service centres started making videos on the DIY repair and service of medical equipment and it became a fashionable trend. The videos can be uploaded to YouTube or sent to clients directly via messengers.
The quarantine measures have put restriction on travel in many countries. It makes training of certified repair personal difficult. Also, it is problematic to organize workshops, seminars and training on the topic of medical service.

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, many manufacturers strive to improve the technical support service. They shorten the response time and improved logistics for remote regions.
Often hospitals and medical institutions make decisions to reallocate funding. The bigger portion of funds is directed for the purchase of new life-saving equipment and personal protective equipment. Therefore, less money is left for repairs and scheduled maintenance of medical equipment. Unfortunately, unwise decisions may lead to a decrease in equipment reliability.
In general, the volume of repairs is increasing, and the range of services is expanding. The medical equipment repair and maintenance sector shows resilience and dedication to the common cause of fighting Covid 19 and saving patients lives. developing.