![]() ![]() Initially, the company prioritised ventilators, anaesthesia systems and respiratory analysers (all devices used to support Covid-19 patients), but the list of products grew and grew. Wiens’ first step was to reach out to biomeds and ask them to share the manuals they had. But manufacturers won’t give it to them.” How the resource came together ![]() “Sometimes it’s as simple as a service password to get into a repair manual in the device, sometimes they need the preventative maintenance procedures that are in the service manual. “I’ve talked to a lot of biomeds who’ve been asking manufacturers for service information during the pandemic,” says Wiens. So the hospitals said, we need to maintain this equipment ourselves but we can’t because you haven’t provided us with the information.”Įven during the pandemic, certain manufacturers proved unwilling to change their policies. “It also got harder for the manufacturer’s technicians to travel. “All of a sudden, the hospitals said we don’t want outside technicians coming in, we need to limit the number of outside visitors,” says Wiens. Manufacturer service reps couldn’t keep pace with the growing need for repairs, and that’s if they were allowed into the hospitals at all. If this was an annoyance pre-Covid, it became a serious problem at a time of soaring demand for medical care. Be it for a washing machine or an infusion pump, manufacturers were deliberately withholding their device repair manuals. ![]() It would put consumer electronics on a par with cars, which can be repaired by anyone since the manufacturer is legally obliged to share their knowhow.Īt the hearings, Wiens heard hospital biomeds testifying about exactly the same issue. This legislation, a pushback against planned obsolescence in devices, would give consumers the ability to repair their own electronics. With ‘right to repair’ legislation pending across the US and the EU, he had been travelling around, testifying at hearings. Wiens first became aware of this issue a few years ago. “This whole debate is purely about money – manufacturers have found another opportunity and they’re going to do everything they can to protect it.” A right to repair “Let’s say you buy a $100,000 piece of equipment, it might cost $10,000 or $20,000 a year for a service contract with the manufacturer,” says Wiens. ![]()
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