Most MARCO members and non-member health professionals are in private, group or
institutional practice and must frequently update, replace or phase out older equipment.
All, at one time or another, have to replace office or hospital instruments (surgical,
diagnostic, etc.)
Most equipment - medical, dental, hospital - instruments, supplies, drugs, even books and periodicals, can be used in clinics and hospitals in developing and Third World countries. There are of course, some exceptions.
Examples of these might be: some equipment used in the U.S. and other developed countries may be too complicated for use in areas or countries where there may be no technical assistance to provide service, adjustment or calibration if required, where the 'mains' (electrical supply) may be too poorly regulated, or the environment too hostile (temperature too high, too low, or too humid for example). Some modern equipment cannot be adequately converted for prolonged use in such environments.
Regulations from country to country vary. Some will not permit the import of equipment or instruments that include radioactive materials, even such common equipment as X-ray equipment is not always acceptable in some countries without extensive and expensive custom clearance making the process uneconomic. For these and other reasons, some equipment, as desirable and as necessary as they might be in the US and other developed nations, may not be acceptable for use in some countries.
However, most equipment can be converted and used, but it usually is accepted by agencies on a case by case basis - depending on availability of spare parts, documentation and demand.
Equipment, in order to be acceptable, generally has to meet the following basic criteria:
1. Must be in good condition, or reparable to good working condition at reasonable cost.
2. If electronic or electric, must be convertible to the voltage, and frequency in use in the country of destination. This is usually 220 v.d.c. at 50 cps.
3. Common spare parts, if appropriate, should be available in or near the country to which it is being shipped.
4. Equipment destined for the tropics must be able to withstand, or be made to withstand, high temperature and humidity.
5. Since long-term warehouse space is often lacking, large pieces that cannot be placed within a relatively short time may not be acceptable at all times.
Medical/dental books and texts are usually acceptable if not more than ten years old.
Medical/dental supplies and pharmaceuticals are always in high demand but medicines must be fresh (not date expired) with at least six month remaining before expiration.
Amateur radio equipment and accessories are in demand and can be placed in hospitals, schools and facilities that have licensed amateurs on staff.
For further information and to determine if items you have might be useful and therefore acceptable, and under what conditions (even larger items such as examining tables, operating room lights, are sometimes acceptable), please go directly to the web sites of the following "Part A" Agencies, or if there is none, call directly the telephone numbers provided.
You will then be informed as to whether your material can be used and if so, you will be given suggestions as to where and how it should be shipped.
Part A Partner Agencies:
Also of interest will be an article titled " MediShare International", in the amateur radio magazine, QST, February 1997, pages 41-43.
For more information about the MediShare program please contact:
William Stenberg, DDs
Executive Director, MediShare International
611 West Downing Street
Tahlequah, OK 74464
E-mail: William Stenberg, DDS