Meddent proudly service:
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Meddent’s experience in the Health Service spans both the private and public sector. We helped establish the DT60 Dry Chemistry Analyser as the machine of choice for the Health Department, and won the tender to supply and all equipment for the Lihir Hospital and Emergency medical centre, including the design of the Xray and Dental facility. We pride ourselves on being able to help with equipment selection, prepare detailed equipment lists, supply large quantities of equipment in one shipment, ensuring its safe and timely arrival.
Our technicians do more than successfully install the equipment within budget; we conduct staff training courses to familiarize them with the equipment. Proof positive of this was the Port Moresby Private Hospital project where we installed • all Hospital Gas and Suction Systems • all CSSD Getinge Sterilization equipment • Morgue facilities • theatre lights in four theatres • Video system to a remote site • all wiring for the Nurse Call and patient monitoring systems, and • all X-Ray viewers. We also advised in the XRay, CT and image development systems and committed significant manpower and funding to the Hospital Project.
Meddent also advise and assist in the procurement of equipment for Mining companies and install equipment on several South Pacific Islands.
Our services include: (Quick links)
Meddent is synonymous with training.
Training is paramount at Meddent because equipment is only as good as the people who operate it. For example when we were awarded a contract by the French Government to fully equip a new Hospital in Esprit de Santos in Vanuatu, we made sure that the hospital’s senior Biomedical engineer spent two full two months training in our laboratory. We train not just our own staff and those of paying clients, but also of the nation’s Health and Technical Community at large. That is why we sponsor an overseas guest lecturer each year for the Medical Symposium and strongly encourage our offshore suppliers to use our staff and facilities to provide free training courses to all interested members of the health profession in PNG. Two classic examples of this include:
Olympus
As well as assisting Olympus to supply Microscopes to the Department of Health, we encouraged them to conduct courses in techniques, repair and service of scopes at the College of Allied Health and at the University Medical faculty. This ultimately led to us incorporating a clean room for microscope repair within our new Meddent facility.
Beckman Coulter
Meddent assisted Coulter by not only supplying and supporting two T890 machines* in Goroka and Mt Hagen, but also by orchestrating additional training (including general Hermatology) for members of the Pathology Service and students at the College. Dr Pickworth has also secured many superseded but otherwise sound T890’s, refurbished them FREE OF CHARGE and donated them to local hospitals requiring full blood analysis.
*The T890 machines were in time superseded by later generations of the Beckman Coulter range.
Orthoclinical Diagnostics
The DT60 system, introduced to Papua New Guinea by Meddent, is widely used in both the private and public sector. There are some 50 machines in PNG. Ms Wilson, a former employee of Meddent, in her installation visits and subsequent fault correction noticed a need to upgrade the skills of some of the operators particularly in the pipetting techniques. Meddent in conjunction with J&J Clinical brought an application specialist with vast experiencing clinical biochemistry to PNG and a course was conducted at the College of Allied Health Science to upgrade the laboratory skills of the operators. There were some 15 operators and the course was opened to students at the College. Some thirty people attended the 5-day course. This course was assessed and the information gained from this assessment has enabled Meddent and J&J to plan an improved course.
With the introduction of the Vitros 250 further training was conducted for all interested operators of the DT60 System with Ms Ladlow of OCD and an engineer from OCD Melbourne in attendance. An additional machine has now been installed in Lae and a Vitros 250 is about to be installed at Mt Hagen Hospital. Meddent also supports Vitros DT60 machines in Vanuatu and Tonga. Training and installation is done through Meddent technicians and OCD Melbourne.
Imaging Solutions
Meddent some years ago provided two Toshiba Color Doppler Ultrasound machines for the Health Department. As these represented a large step forward in technology and application, Toshiba and Meddent provided training in Sydney for an operator. This proved successful for these two machines. Under a later CASP program Meddent was again successful in the supply of two more of the same model machine. Again training was included but Meddent approached Ausaid and gained permission to conduct the training in Port Moresby, in this way we were able expose more people to the technology. Meddent brought Mr. Beckwith, an Ultrasound specialist and an examiner in Ultrasound at RMIT to Port Moresby. Both operators of the new machines received training and the course was opened up to other clinicians at the Hospital. In all some twelve people received training on both the Color Doppler and the CAPASEE machine.
Later Toshiba in association with Meddent conducted a second course in Ultrasound. This was presented by Dr Chris Kohlenberg, the Director of the Nepean Hospital. Meddent brought a machine from Australia for this course and handbooks in basic Ultrasound were printed for the course and distributed to all course participants. These handbooks have been sent to all operators of similar machines free of charge.
Given the frequent technological advancement within the imaging industry, Meddent has recently forged an association with Philips to enable equipment to be placed in remote locations, and serviced by one company. Meddent was successful in placing a complete suite of Philips equipment in the hospital development in Vanuatu. Further imaging service training is planned with Philips overseas for the Meddent technicians.
Ulco Anaesthetic Equipment
Meddent has had an agreement with Ulco for over 10 years and in that time a large number of units have been placed. Two of our senior technicians have traveled to Sydney to receive training in the repair of all Ulco equipment Meddent has invested in test equipment has purchased a vaporizer in order that it is possible to offer an exchange system for the calibration of the vaporizer. Our technician Mr Esau Haihe is our senior technician for installation and training on the Ulco equipment.
Meddent was successful in the provision of Anaesthetic equipment, ventilators and other equipment under an Ausaid contract. This contract called for operator training. Meddent brought all operators to Port Moresby and a week long workshop was conducted by Meddent for all operators using clinicians with vast teaching experience. The technicians from the Meddent office were also used in the training.
Meddent provided a week course for operators and biomedical technicians on clinical and technical support as part of an Ausaid project for supply and installation of nine new units throughout the country. Most hospitals in Papua New Guinea use the Ulco equipment.
Spirax Sarco Steam Course
Meddent in association with Spirax Sarco has conducted the first course in the management of Steam. We have recognised the need to improve the knowledge of the public sector in this area as we assisted in an energy audit with SMEC. The course was conducted over two days. 20 people attended the course. Another course was conducted the following year. The course was oversubscribed.
Clements Medical
The care and routine maintenance of Clements suction pumps and centrifuges previously was a problem for the Health Department. Meddent approached Clements and they sent a training person to PNG and a two-day course was conducted for the biomedical staff at Port Moresby General Hospital. Support for all Clements equipment is ongoing with in hospital training and maintenance provided by Meddent staff.
Laboratory Equipment and Supply
Unitech in Lae through Ausaid tendered for the supply of a large volume of laboratory equipment. Meddent was successful supplying not only equipment but also chemicals. This was all delivered direct to Lae. With the formal agreement Meddent has with Hach, we are able to provide a large range of water and wastewater treatment equipment and chemicals. One of the Meddent staff traveled to Thailand to attend intensive training with Hach equipment.
The Meddent ability to offer in country support was attractive to Perkin Elmer and Meddent is heavily involved in the installation and support of several ICP machines in remote sites in Papua New Guinea. The Laboratories have elected to continue to use Meddent as their main support rather than the expensive option of bringing a service technician to Papua New Guinea from Australia. Meddent has now forged a relationship with Varian Australia now Agilent Technologies and will be exclusively supporting the Agilent range of equipment. Extensive Agilent training has already been undertaken, and our service technicians and applications staff all have extensive overseas training experience. In association with Agilent, Meddent has assisted in the installation of an ICP and several GC units at the new oil refinery. Meddent will be responsible for the ongoing support.