Assessment of Biomedical Engineering Support Services for Medical Imaging Departments in Teaching Hospitals in Kaduna State

Medical imaging departments in Nigerian teaching hospitals rely on complex and expensive equipment whose reliable operation is dependent on adequate biomedical engineering support, yet the nature and adequacy of such support in Kaduna State teaching hospitals is undocumented. This study assesses biomedical engineering support services for medical imaging departments at two teaching hospitals in Kaduna State. The assessment covered support arrangements for X-ray, ultrasound, CT scanning, and MRI equipment, evaluating the availability of in-house biomedical engineers with imaging equipment competency, response times for emergency equipment faults, preventive maintenance schedules, service contract coverage, and spare parts inventory management. Data were collected through structured interviews with heads of imaging departments, biomedical engineering staff, and hospital administrators, supplemented by review of equipment downtime and service records. Findings indicate that in-house biomedical engineering support for imaging equipment is limited at both facilities, with the majority of complex imaging equipment serviced exclusively by manufacturer or independent service organization engineers under service contracts. Response times for emergency equipment breakdowns under existing service contracts averaged three to seven working days, with consequent patient referral impacts. CT scanning downtime exceeded ten percent of scheduled operational time at one facility due to service response delays. Preventive maintenance compliance was below fifty percent for imaging equipment at both facilities. The study recommends negotiation of improved service contract response time standards, development of in-house first-line fault diagnosis capability, and imaging equipment management training for biomedical engineering staff. Keywords: biomedical engineering support, medical imaging, teaching hospital, service contract, Kaduna State.