Matam Nahusharaj, director of the foundation, shared a story of receiving 10 used Baxter dialysis machines from a U.S. center last year, but when they arrived (after they paid for them to get through customs) they were outdated and no spare parts were available.

"If anyone wants to donate any equipment to a charitable institution, they should ensure that the donated equipment is in a working condition," said Nahusharaj. "Merely donating for donation sake is not appreciated. The 10 machines are sitting at our hospital. Perhaps we could realize some money by selling them off as scrap."


Koenig also said that communication can sometimes be a problem-not just due to language barriers, but because those receiving donations may be reluctant to voice any concerns about what they're receiving.

"If a donor sends equipment or supplies you have problems with, you need to let them know, or it won't get better" he said. "Building relationships and trust can be a huge challenge."

Both donor and recipient should work together to minimize any potential problems in the process. This can be anything from transportation permits, to customs or even differences in voltage output between countries which would require a transformer correction.

Donors and recipients should also remember that all this equipment, no matter what it is, will fail at some point and will need a knowledgeable engineer to repair it. That's why service donations are just as important.

OEMs Offer Help

This summer, GE made a donation of almost $2 million in medical equipment to Welch Community Hospital in West Virginia after state Senator Jay Rockefeller reached out to the company for help for the struggling hospital.

Equipment included an anesthesia machine, digital mammography machine, EKG monitor, portable fetal monitors, portable X-ray machine, ultra-sound machine, and CT scan.

"The medical equipment that GE has donated is already making an enormous difference," said Rockefeller. "The digital mammography machine means that Welch now has the equipment necessary to detect breast cancer early. And the updated X-ray machine and EKG monitor are the types of life-saving technology that every hospital should have to provide the most comprehensive patient care possible."

Of course, this is just one example of the charitable ways of the company, which contributes millions of dollars in medical equipment to developing countries each year.

As do most of the major OEMs. Whether it's Siemens or Philips or Toshiba or really, any original equipment manufacturer, the companies usually have humanitarian funds put aside each year.

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