Policy and Procedures
A healthier choice for a healthier you.
Policy And Procedures
Donors of equipment or medical supplies .etc. to institutions in the public health sector should submit the list of items through the Jamaican Embassy or Consulate in their area.
Equipment older than five (5) years from the date of manufacture will not be accepted.
Consideration on accepting equipment will depend on the age of the item, availability of spare parts, operator and service manuals, and availability of maintenance services in Jamaica.
All equipment must be accompanied by specifications and information in accordance with the guidelines for medical equipment maintenance.
Obsolete or incompatible goods, equipment requiring costly infrastructure, and requests for reimbursement of shipping costs or payment for items, gifts and donations will not be accepted or supported.
Donors are responsible for arranging the shipment of equipment and medical supplies to Jamaica. The shipment should be addressed to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health and Environment for the attention of the Procurement Manager and/or Resource Mobilisation Coordinator.
Donors must submit the final list of items showing values being shipped along with the letter from the donor two weeks in advance to the Ministry of Health and Environment, prior to the arrival of the equipment or medical supplies to Jamaica. This is to enable the Ministry sufficient time to obtain the appropriate duty waivers and permits.
Donors must supply the packing list and other invoices and relevant shipping documents to the Ministry to enable the Procurement Manager to expedite Customs clearance.
The distribution of the equipment and medical supplies will be done in consultation with the donor. However, the Ministry of Health and Environment reserves the right to direct gifts to the area of greatest need.
Pharmaceuticals must be on the Ministry’s Vital, Essential and Necessary (VEN) List, registered for use in Jamaica and bear an expiry date of at least twelve (12) months after the landed date.
THE DETAILED LIST OF PHARMACEUTICALS WHICH CAN BE DONATED AND ARE ACCEPTABLE TO THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT HAS BEEN CATALOGUED IN THE PUBLISHED VEN LIST ENTITLED “LIST OF VITAL, ESSENTIAL AND NECESSARY DRUGS AND MEDICAL SUNDRIES” FOR PUBLIC HEALTH INSTITUTIONS 2008, WHICH IS AVAILABLE AT ALL OUR EMBASSIES AND CONSULATES AND FROM THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT, JAMAICA.
Disclaimer
The Ministry will not accept responsibility for donations that involve the following practices:
goods shipped without advising the Ministry of Health and Environment;
failure to provide packing lists;
failure to provide invoices showing values and other pertinent data;
failure to consign goods correctly to the Ministry of Health and Environment;
Donors, who engage in the aforementioned practices, do so at their own risk.
specifications: medical equipment general
All equipment using medical gas must use the colour code system as specified by the Jamaica National Formulary (and the British Pharmacopoeia). NO other colour code system is permitted. ALL hoses, connections, sockets, probes, pipes flowmeter, suction controllers and gauges must be marked in accordance with the colour code system.
Equipment for connection to medical gas cylinders must be screw threaded fitting for size J/M cylinders and medical pin-index fitting for all other cylinder sizes.
Medical equipment using gases for patient inhalation and operating from the central medical gas pipeline system must be suitable for operation at mains line pressure up to 4 BAR. Orthopedic power tool equipment should use compressed air and be suitable for operation at line pressures up to 7 BAR. Suction equipment should be suitable for pressures of -0.9 BAR. All equipment must be supplied with a permanently crimped BOC/OHMEDA Marked IV medical gas probe.
All cylinder mounted pressure reducing controllers must include an over-pressure safety valve, and be so adjusted as to prevent the delivery of pressures in excess of 4.5 BAR.
All flexible hoses from the mains gas supply system or cylinder regulators must be attached to equipment and probes with permanent medical gas crimps. The use of Jubilee clips friction nipples or fixing wires is NOT permitted.
All cylinder mounted/using equipment, including regulators, must be supplied with a cylinder key for controlling the cylinder flow which is permanently attached by means of a robust wire or chain to the equipment.
The use of double ball or dual scale indicators within the same flowmeter, flowtube is NOT permitted.
All adult, ventilator and anaesthesia, patient breathing circuit systems are to have 22mm conical connectors ONLY.
Spare Parts
All equipment in excess of US$250 unit valve must be supplied with a minimum of 10% of cost of spare parts. All parts must be clearly labeled with the part name and serial number. In selecting the spare parts to be supplied particular emphasis is to be given to
fuses and indicator lights and bulbs. Spare parts that have a shelf life of less than 2 years should be supplied on a split/timed delivery basis.
Tools
All equipment in excess of US$5,000 unit value must be supplied with a minimum of 1% of the cost of maintenance tools. DEFIBRILLATORS
All Defibrillators intended for hospital based use must incorporate a defibrillator testing system to verify correct energy of discharge/operation of the unit (fully portable Defibrillators intended for ambulance or accident site use does not require testing facilities).
endoscopic light sources
All light sources for endoscopic use must have a universal endoscopic fitting or be supplied with the COMPLETE range of adaptors.
sphygmomanometers
All mercury type sphygmomanometers should be supplied with spare parts to the value of 10% of the unit cost which are to include inflation bags, bulb pumps, and glass tubes.
equipment finish/paint
Baked enamel finish in NOT permissible. Whenever practical, epoxy covered metal is preferred. ALL equipment that has ferrous metal components must be treated to prevent/inhibit rusting.
X-RAY UNITS
All X-ray equipment should conform to all USA national standards, relating to radiological equipment.
dialysis machines
All Dialysis machines should NOT be older than five (5) years from the date of manufacture.
dialysis machines
All Dialysis machines should NOT be older than five (5) years from the date of manufacture.
maintenance medical equipment
new equipment specifications with maintenance implications
construction related proposed standards
Operating Theatre/ICU Electric’s
- Should follow the U.K. system of over-current protection and earthed lines.
Isolated transformers and floating potential systems should NOT be used. - Key locked electrical socket outlets should have the key mechanism on the LIVE
pin (NOT on the earth pin). - Key locked sockets should be specially marked.
general
- Name of manufacturer
- Address of manufacturer
- Date of manufacture
- Model number/name
- Serial number
- Name of supplier
- Address of supplier
- Phone No., Fax No. and E-mail address/Web-site address
- Electrical supply voltage(s)
- Electrical safety classification (pictograms may be used)
- Gas supply pressure
- Water supply pressure
- Steam supply pressure
manuals
All equipment must be supplied with a minimum of two copies of the following information in the English language:
- Operator Manual
- List of all accessories and consumable items with part numbers
- Service Maintenance Manual
- Spare Parts List
- Service drawings showing part numbers
- Circuit Diagrams, Block Circuit Drawings and description of electronic and logic operation.
- Troubleshooting Guide
- Installation and commissioning instructions complete with installation templates if required.
- Planned Preventive Maintenance Guide
The information may be supplied in any convenient form, so that any number of the above items may be included in any format into one binding.
accessories
All equipment must be supplied complete and ready for operation with all accessories necessary for at least standard operations. Information on recommended accessories and COMPLETE lists of ALL accessories available, with costs, must be included with the quote/tender offer.
electrics
- All equipment should conform to lEC 601, and be clearly labeled as to the compliance.
- All “plug in” mains electricity operated equipment should be supplied with a minimum of metres of connecting flex and be fitted with a three prong earth/grounded plug suitable for hospital use, in a non-brittle material (rubber based plugs are preferred)
- 120 volt equipment should have a white coloured plug top.
- 240 volt equipment should have a black coloured plug top.
- Equipment should be suitable for operation 240 and/or 120 volts, as specified for the individual hospital, and be able to function correctly at supply voltage variations of + 10% and -10%.All equipment must be protected against mains 8 line surge conditions and mains line interference including high frequency spiking. Units which cannot function correctly within the stated conditions must be supplied with an electrical line conditioning until capable of handling the stated voltage fluctuation and suitable for use in medical areas. All equipment should be fitted with anti-surge type mains power fuses(s). The use of external autotransformers to convert 240-volt equipment to 120 volt operation or vice-versa is NOT permissible. (N.B. special requirements apply to mortuary/post mortem equipment)
- All equipment should be suitable for operation at 50HZ (cps) mains supply. Synchronous motors and timing units must operate correctly at 50Hz, and main frequency anti-interference filters must be set for 50Hz.
- All critical care equipment including defibrillators, blood pumps, IV controllers, IV pumps, motorised operating tables, syringe pumps, and should be supplied with integral, automatic, rechargeable battery back up systems.
- All surgical lighting equipment, fixed or mobile, should operate at 12 volts and be supplied with the necessary mains conversion units, auto switch gear, battery backup and auto recharging unit.
mechanical
- All mains water using equipment should be suitable for operation at line feed pressures of 1 to 3 BAR. Units which require other pressures will be accepted if supplied with integral pressure reducing valves/booster pumps.
- All equipment permanently connected to the main water supply must include a water shut off valve and a non-return valve or anti-syphon flow back control.
- All steam using equipment should be supplied with a chamber safety valve, which should be so mounted as to facilitate easy access, and have a manual operating test/lift arm .
- PERISHABLE GOODS
Airway Bill and other documents for goods should be sent from Donor to the Procurement Manager in the Ministry before-hand giving time of arrival. If goods are not collected immediately arrangement is made with the Airline to place them in cold storage. The Ministry has a system to record and track the status of all orders for drugs and medical sundries at each step of the process.
process
- On receipt of copy invoices and other supplies’ documents relating to shipments, files are “red flagged” and fast tracked for signing and stamping of documents. Orders for perishable goods are specially identified for priority treatment.
- Preparation of cheques and securing of foreign exchange for payment of goods is given priority treatment once documents are flagged.
- Where shipments are subject to daily storage or demurrage charges the Ministry’s Procurement has a system in place to meet shortfalls on cheque payments.
- Suppliers are required, as a norm, to give three days notice of the scheduled arrival of perishable goods (twenty-four (24) hours minimum) and to fax the documents where necessary. Processing of documents is towards clearance of the goods on arrival or as soon as possible thereafter. The aim is to have radioactive material cleared within a maximum of three days and other perishables within ten days of receipt of documentation.
- For regular clearance of goods through customs the pre-clearance facility is to be used now being used as much as possible by eligible Customs Brokers (i.e. those with very low error rates in their entry documents) who are employed to the Ministry. There should be no documentation delays in the clearing of goods through this facility.
- Where documentation is not ready, letters of clearances are to be applied for, and should be granted by Customs for the emergency clearance of goods. Customs Entries must be presented and payments made within seventy-two (72) hours of Letters of Clearances.
In order that all shipments of medical supplies and equipment should be cleared in the shortest possible time, consultations must be undertaken with the Customs Department for:
- special arrangements for the receipt and processing of Customs Entries and other documentation e.g. dedicated “box” and/or Officer to handle;
- identified Customs personnel to process Ministry of Health and Environment clearances;
- identified Customs Personnel to release goods.
warehousing
The cost of storage and demurrage for the Ministry has been significant. The volume and value of business handled by the Ministry suggests that a bonded Warehouse into which shipments consigned to the Ministry may be placed directly, is a practical proposition.
This proposition cannot be pursued at this time.
health corporation limited
Health Corporation Limited (HCL) has full responsibility for all aspects of the procurement of drugs and medical supplies required by the Ministry of Health and Environment. HCL will have access to any special arrangements made with the Customs Department by the Ministry.
pharmaceuticals
- The list of pharmaceuticals should be submitted to the Pharmaceutical Services Division, at least twenty-one (21) days prior to shipment by the donor, to determine the suitability of the donation for the public health care system. The listing should give information on each item as follows: –
- name of drug,
- expiry date,
- quantity,
- name and address of supplier.
- The appropriate drug importation permit should be obtained from the Standards and Regulations Division prior to arrival of the donation. There is a twenty-four hour turn-around time for approval of the permit application.
- The donations should bear an expiry date of at least twelve (12) months after landed date.
- The brand or generic equivalent of a donation (drug) should be registered for use in Jamaica except where the drug is to be administered in emergency procedures e.g. invasive cardiovascular or cerebral interventions.
- The Standards and Regulations Division reserves the right to detain/seize or cause to be re-exported pharmaceuticals imported contrary to the guidelines. Failure to comply with the guidelines is a breach of the FOOD AND DRUG ACT and FOOD AND DRUG
regulations
Breaches of the CUSTOMS ACT may result in the imposition of fines not exceeding three (3) times the C.I.F value of the goods.