A first for a WHO Regional Committee
Meeting in Dili, the WHO South-East Asia Region discussed medical devices as a dedicated agenda item for the first time and adopted a resolution on equitable access to medical devices, in vitro diagnostics and assistive technologies. It takes a life-cycle view: planning, regulation, procurement, maintenance, replacement and safe decommissioning.
The timeline countries signed up to
- By 2027, designate a national lead unit for the life-cycle management of medical devices and diagnostics
- By 2028, complete a national baseline assessment, including where priority equipment is located and whether it is functional and maintained
- By 2030, publish costed implementation plans linking devices and diagnostics to primary care, referral pathways, budgets and workforce needs
Why it matters for biomedical teams
The resolution puts equipment management on the policy agenda: inventory, preventive maintenance, calibration, repairs, spare parts and user training. It also calls for proper oversight of software and AI used as medical devices. Knowing whether equipment actually works is now an explicit national target, which is the gap biomedical technicians work in every day.