Complete dialysis systems and renal care equipment designed to deliver safe, effective, and patient-centered kidney treatment.
Scope, project management & OEM documentation
Biomedical & IT teams deployed nationwide
Dedicated service desk for Nigerian facilities
Renal Solutions Service is the comprehensive technical management of your dialysis unit's critical equipment, from the reverse osmosis (RO) water treatment plant to the individual haemodialysis machines and patient chairs. It is for any hospital or clinic—public, private, or NGO-funded—that needs to guarantee patient safety, maximise equipment uptime, and meet regulatory standards without the headache of managing it all in-house. This service solves the persistent Nigerian challenges of equipment downtime due to power fluctuations, delayed spare parts, a shortage of OEM-certified engineers, and the overwhelming burden of documentation required for audits and donor reporting. We typically serve tertiary teaching hospitals with 20+ bed units, private dialysis centres running 5-10 machines like the Fresenius 4008S or Nipro Surdial, and grant-funded clinics in remote areas that cannot afford a full-time biomedical team. The goal is to shift your focus from fixing broken machines to treating patients, knowing the technical backbone of your service is reliable, compliant, and efficient.
Ad-hoc, per-incident repairs cost between NGN 75,000 - NGN 250,000 per visit, excluding parts and travel. Bundled Preventive Maintenance (PM) contracts for a typical 5-10 bed unit range from NGN 1,200,000 - NGN 4,500,000 annually. A full-scope, turnkey contract including parts, labour, and uptime guarantees (a Comprehensive Maintenance Contract) for the same unit will typically be NGN 5,000,000 - NGN 15,000,000+ per year. The primary cost drivers are the number and complexity of your dialysis machines (e.g., a Fresenius 5008HDF machine is more complex than a 4008S), the capacity and age of your RO water plant, your physical location impacting travel logistics, the level of documentation required for donors or regulators, and the guaranteed response time in your Service Level Agreement (SLA). Including consumables management and water testing adds to the cost but simplifies your operations significantly.
Contact Franance for a detailed assessment that aligns service costs with your operational reality and budget.
The absolute minimum you can expect to pay for a one-off service visit from an independent technician is NGN 50,000 - NGN 100,000, but this typically only covers the engineer's time on-site for a basic diagnostic. This price almost always excludes the cost of travel (which can be significant), any spare parts required, follow-up visits, and formal documentation like a calibration certificate or detailed service report. You are essentially paying for a quick fix with no guarantees. The risks are substantial: the technician may not be certified for your specific machine (e.g., a Gambro Artis), they may use non-genuine parts, and there is no warranty on the repair. This approach often leads to higher long-term costs due to repeat failures and extended downtime, directly impacting patient care and revenue.
If the answer to most of these is "no," you are buying risk, not a solution.
An affordable, value-optimised service bundle for a small-to-medium dialysis unit (4-8 machines) costs between NGN 250,000 - NGN 600,000 per quarter. This model moves beyond reactive repairs to proactive, scheduled maintenance that prevents problems before they start. The value comes from bundling services: your facility is added to a scheduled route with others in your zone (e.g., a dedicated Port Harcourt route), which drastically cuts down on individual travel costs. Remote triage via phone or video call is included, allowing many issues to be resolved without a site visit. You also get regular data reports on equipment performance, helping you make smarter operational decisions. This approach delivers the high-quality, documented service of a premium contract at a more manageable price point by focusing on efficiency and prevention.
This bundled approach provides the best balance of cost, reliability, and compliance for most Nigerian facilities.
An Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC), which covers only labour for preventive maintenance and repairs, typically costs 5-8% of the equipment's capital value per year. A Comprehensive Maintenance Contract (CMC), which covers labour, all spare parts, and often includes uptime guarantees, costs 10-18% of the equipment's value annually. For a unit with NGN 80 million worth of equipment, an AMC might be NGN 4-6.4 million, while a CMC would be NGN 8-14.4 million. The AMC offers a lower initial cost but exposes you to unpredictable and potentially huge bills for spare parts like a mainboard or flow pump failure. The CMC provides complete budget predictability and peace of mind, as the provider is fully responsible for keeping the machines running at their own cost.
| Feature | Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC) | Comprehensive Maintenance Contract (CMC) |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Labour for PM & repairs only | Labour, all spare parts, consumables (optional) |
| Cost | Lower annual fee (5-8% of asset value) | Higher annual fee (10-18% of asset value) |
| Budgeting | Unpredictable; high risk of large, unbudgeted parts costs | Fully predictable; fixed annual cost |
| Uptime Incentive | Provider's incentive is to complete jobs; downtime doesn't cost them directly | Provider is heavily incentivised to maximise uptime to avoid costly part replacements |
| Best For | Facilities with strong in-house technical teams and a budget for parts | Facilities demanding maximum uptime and predictable operational expenses (most hospitals, NGOs) |
A CMC with a provider like Franance aligns incentives perfectly: our profitability depends on your equipment's reliability.
Request a no-obligation quote from Franance today to get a customised service plan for your dialysis unit.
You can find providers primarily based in major commercial hubs like Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt, with some presence in Kano. However, the key is not their office location but their proven ability to serve your specific location effectively. The selection process must go beyond a simple web search. You need to conduct thorough due diligence, starting with their Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) registration to confirm they are a legitimate entity. Ask for proof of OEM accreditation or training certificates for the specific equipment you own, like a Fresenius or B. Braun certification. A critical, often overlooked step is to verify they hold professional indemnity and public liability insurance. Finally, insist on speaking to at least two current clients, preferably facilities similar to yours in scale and location, to get a real-world account of their response times and service quality.
Franance provides all verification documents upfront through our secure client portal for complete transparency.
Franance is a verified nationwide provider of end-to-end Renal Solutions Services, covering everything from initial site assessment and RO plant installation to ongoing maintenance, repair, and regulatory compliance management. Our service stack is built on a foundation of OEM-certified engineers strategically located in regional hubs, a centralised logistics system for rapid spare parts deployment, and a digital service platform that gives you real-time visibility into your equipment's health and service history. We handle the complexities of importation, SONCAP compliance, and customs clearance for all equipment and parts, ensuring a seamless supply chain.
The best provider is the one that demonstrably reduces your clinical risk and operational burden through a combination of technical expertise, reliable logistics, and transparent communication. This is not about being the cheapest, but about delivering the best value. Look for a provider with a deep portfolio of experience managing dialysis units similar to yours. For example, if you run a 15-bed unit with Fresenius 5008 machines, the best provider will have certified engineers and a proven track record with that specific technology. Key evaluation criteria include their engineer-to-site ratio in your region, the quality and calibration status of their diagnostic instruments, and the clarity of their reporting. The best providers, like Franance, use a data-driven approach, tracking KPIs like Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) to proactively identify and address recurring issues before they cause significant downtime.
A standard Scope of Work (SOW) includes all planned preventive maintenance (PM), calibration, water quality testing, and emergency repair services for all equipment listed in the asset register. The process begins with an initial on-site assessment and asset tagging phase (Week 1). This is followed by the execution of a baseline PM and calibration across all machines and the RO plant to establish a performance benchmark (Week 2-3). Subsequent activities include quarterly PM visits, bi-annual comprehensive water analysis, and on-demand emergency support. The SOW concludes every interaction with detailed digital documentation and a formal handover to your clinical lead. A well-defined SOW from Franance clearly outlines deliverables, timelines, and responsibilities, leaving no room for ambiguity.
The process begins with a comprehensive technical audit of your dialysis unit to create a detailed asset register and assess the current state of each piece of equipment. Our methodology is built on manufacturer specifications and international standards like the AAMI/ISO standards for dialysate and water quality, and IEC 62353 for electrical safety testing. During a Preventive Maintenance visit, our engineer follows a multi-point digital checklist specific to your machine model, for example, a B. Braun Dialog+. They use calibrated instruments to verify pressures, temperatures, conductivity, and flow rates. All data, pass/fail results, and parts used are captured in real-time on a mobile device. This data syncs to our central CMMS, generating an instant service report and updating your equipment's history, ensuring a consistent, auditable, and data-driven service every time.
Service Level Agreement (SLA) tiers are defined by response times based on issue severity. A typical SLA structure is: Critical (e.g., total RO plant failure, multiple machines down) with a 4-hour on-site response in Lagos/Abuja/PH and 8-12 hours for other zones; Urgent (e.g., single machine down in a multi-machine unit) with an 8-hour response; and Routine (e.g., a minor leak, noisy pump) with a 24-48 hour scheduled response. A robust SLA from Franance goes beyond response time to guarantee a minimum operational uptime of 95% for all critical equipment. This is tracked via our CMMS dashboard. The agreement includes penalty clauses, such as service credit for failing to meet response times or uptime targets, ensuring our incentives are directly aligned with your operational needs. Remote triage is always the first step to attempt immediate resolution.
Get a Franance SLA with guaranteed uptime and clear penalty clauses, all tracked on a live performance dashboard.
After every service intervention, you receive a comprehensive digital service report detailing the work performed, parts replaced (with serial numbers), and the final status of the equipment. For scheduled maintenance, you also receive specific certificates, such as a Calibration Certificate for the machine's conductivity and temperature sensors, and an Electrical Safety Test Certificate confirming compliance with IEC standards. For the water treatment plant, you will receive a detailed Water Analysis Report from an accredited laboratory, showing results for chemical, microbial, and endotoxin levels against AAMI/ISO standards. These documents form a complete, auditable history for each asset, which is critical for hospital accreditation, satisfying donor reporting requirements, and proving due diligence.
Compliance requires navigating multiple regulatory bodies. NAFDAC regulates all consumables, including dialysates, bloodlines, and disinfectants, requiring you to have proof of their registration. The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) governs the equipment itself; any new machine imported into Nigeria must undergo the SONCAP process to ensure it meets minimum safety and quality standards, a process your service provider should manage. While the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA) is not typically involved in standard haemodialysis, awareness is key if your facility has other imaging modalities nearby. Above all, your service methodology must adhere to international standards like ISO 13485 (for medical device quality management) and specific IEC standards (like 60601-1 for medical electrical equipment safety) to ensure patient safety and global best practices.
A preventive maintenance (PM) schedule is performed quarterly for haemodialysis machines and involves a mix of monthly and quarterly tasks for the RO plant. The process is scheduled in advance to minimise clinical disruption, often during off-peak hours. Our engineers arrive with a calibrated PM kit and follow a digital, model-specific checklist. For a Fresenius 4008S, this includes disinfecting the hydraulic system, replacing the dialysate filter, calibrating conductivity and temperature sensors, verifying the function of the blood leak detector, and testing all alarm conditions. All actions and readings are logged digitally. This proactive approach prevents over 70% of common equipment failures, ensuring your unit runs smoothly.
The emergency response process starts with your call to our dedicated 24/7 support line. The call is immediately logged, and a Level 1 remote triage is initiated with your clinical staff to diagnose the problem. For modern machines like the Fresenius 5008, our engineers can often diagnose issues remotely by interpreting error codes. If the issue cannot be resolved remotely, an engineer is dispatched from the nearest hub (Lagos, Abuja, PH, Kano) within the SLA-defined response time. The engineer arrives with a pre-diagnosed set of likely spare parts and a service tablet with the machine's full history. Our goal is a first-time fix, leveraging data and robust logistics to get your machine back online as quickly as possible.
Spare parts availability is managed through a hybrid strategy of maintaining local stock of high-failure, fast-moving parts while having a streamlined international supply chain for less common components. Franance maintains an inventory in Lagos of critical parts for common models like the B. Braun Dialog+ and Nipro Surdial, including blood pump heads, valve kits, and CPU boards. This allows for same-day or next-day repair for most common faults. For major components, we manage the entire importation process, including Form M, customs clearance, and SONCAP, with lead times typically ranging from 2-4 weeks. We only use genuine, OEM-warranted parts to guarantee performance and safety, and our inventory system tracks every part by serial number from procurement to installation.
Training is a core part of our service, designed to empower your team and reduce dependency on service calls for minor issues. We provide role-based training: a 2-hour session for clinical staff (nurses) on machine operation, alarm interpretation, and daily disinfection procedures, and a more in-depth 4-hour session for your in-house technicians or biomedical staff on first-line troubleshooting and basic maintenance tasks. Training is conducted on-site with your own equipment. At the end of the session, we provide user-friendly quick reference guides and a competency checklist to document who was trained. Refresher training is recommended annually or whenever new staff join your team.
A Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) provides a single source of truth for your entire renal unit's equipment inventory and service history. Upon starting a contract, we tag every piece of equipment—from the main RO plant to each dialysis machine—with a unique QR code. Scanning this code brings up the asset's entire history: purchase date, warranty status, all past service reports, and upcoming PM schedules. For you as a director, the CMMS provides a dashboard with critical KPIs like overall equipment uptime, Mean Time To Repair (MTTR), Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF), and total cost of ownership. This data is invaluable for budgeting, operational planning, and demonstrating effective management to stakeholders or donors.
A power audit is a systematic evaluation of the electrical infrastructure supporting your dialysis unit, essential for reliable operation in Nigeria's unstable power environment. The process involves using a power quality analyser to measure voltage, current, frequency, and harmonics from your mains, generator, and existing UPS systems over a 24-72 hour period. The outcome is a detailed report that identifies power issues (e.g., voltage sags/swells, frequency deviation) and provides precise recommendations for sizing and configuring Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) and voltage stabilizers. We ensure the RO plant, which has a high inrush current, and the sensitive electronics of the dialysis machines are on separate, correctly-sized circuits to prevent catastrophic failures.
The relocation process for a dialysis unit is a multi-stage project that typically takes 5-10 working days and costs are based on the number of machines and distance. It begins with a systematic and documented dismantling of the equipment. Each component is carefully packaged, labelled, and transported by an experienced logistics partner. Upon arrival at the new site, we manage the complete reinstallation, which includes reconnecting all plumbing and electrical systems. The most critical phase is the recommissioning and validation of the RO water system. We conduct a full disinfection and run a complete set of water quality tests that must pass AAMI/ISO standards before any patient can be treated.
The deinstallation process is a managed service to safely and compliantly remove old renal equipment from your facility, with costs depending on the equipment type and disposal requirements. The process adheres strictly to Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) guidelines. Our team will safely disconnect the equipment from all utilities (water, drain, power). For disposal, we follow environmentally responsible procedures, separating electronic waste (e-waste) from other materials. Critically, if the equipment has any patient data storage, we perform certified data sanitisation to protect patient confidentiality. We provide a complete chain-of-custody document, from removal at your site to final disposal, giving you an auditable record of compliant decommissioning.
Quality Control (QC) is a set of routine checks, performed monthly or quarterly, to verify that your equipment is performing accurately between scheduled PMs. This goes beyond basic maintenance. For a dialysis machine, it involves using an independent, calibrated meter to verify that the machine's displayed conductivity and temperature match the actual values of the dialysate. We also verify the accuracy of the ultrafiltration (UF) control system by comparing the programmed fluid removal volume with the actual volume measured. These QC checks are documented, and any deviations are trended over time. This data can predict component drift or failure before it affects patient treatment.
Electrical safety testing is a mandatory annual procedure to ensure your renal equipment poses no risk of electric shock to patients or staff. The process is conducted using a specialised medical electrical safety analyser (like a Fluke ESA615) and follows the IEC 62353 standard. We test key parameters including earth wire continuity, insulation resistance, and patient leakage currents under various fault conditions. Each machine that passes is affixed with a "Tested for Electrical Safety" tag showing the test date and the next due date. You receive a formal certificate for each device, providing a critical, auditable record for accreditation and internal safety audits.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are the critical metrics we track to measure the performance of your equipment and our service. You receive a monthly or quarterly performance report, accessible via the Franance client dashboard. This report visualises key metrics like Equipment Uptime Percentage (our target is >95%), Mean Time To Repair (MTTR), Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF), and First Visit Fix Rate. We also report on SLA attainment, showing our response times against the agreed-upon targets. This data-driven reporting provides you with clear, objective evidence of your unit's operational health and the value being delivered by your service contract.
Payment options are flexible to suit your facility's financial model. For service contracts (AMC/CMC), the standard term is quarterly or bi-annual payments in advance. For large-scale projects like new unit installations or relocations, we use milestone-based billing (e.g., 40% advance, 40% on equipment delivery, 20% on commissioning and handover). We can also work with performance bonds for government and NGO contracts to provide financial assurance of project completion. For qualified long-term partners, Franance offers credit terms and can structure leasing or financing options to help you acquire new technology without a large upfront capital outlay, smoothing your cash flow.
Our service is available nationwide, with primary support hubs in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Kano, ensuring we can provide rapid support to all geopolitical zones. Our coverage model uses a hub-and-spoke system. Engineers are based in these hubs for immediate dispatch to metropolitan areas and are deployed for scheduled service routes to cover facilities in surrounding states. This structure allows us to provide a 4-8 hour response time in major cities and a 24-48 hour response time for most other locations. Our remote support desk is available to all clients nationwide, providing immediate troubleshooting assistance regardless of your location.
Share your requirements for rollout, training and SLAs. Our service desk will prepare budgets, documentation and timelines aligned to your facility.
30+ Years
Experience delivering healthcare projects in Nigeria
OEM Certified
Biomedical & IT teams for installation, calibration & support
Nationwide
Coverage across Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano & beyond
Honest answers about scope, pricing, delivery and support so you can plan with confidence.
An AMC for a single dialysis machine typically costs between 8-15% of the equipment's value annually. For a facility with ten Fresenius 4008S machines, this covers scheduled preventive maintenance, calibration, and labour for repairs. Consumables and major spare parts like pumps or boards are usually billed separately. A comprehensive contract (CMC) that includes parts will be in the 15-22% range.
An Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC) covers labour for preventive maintenance and repairs, but you pay for spare parts separately. A Comprehensive Maintenance Contract (CMC) includes both labour and the cost of all spare parts, offering a fixed annual budget. For a B. Braun Dialog+ machine, a CMC is predictable but more expensive upfront, while an AMC is cheaper but carries the risk of high, unexpected costs for part failures.
Standard payment terms are often an annual or semi-annual advance payment. For a three-year contract on a fleet of Nipro Surdial machines, providers may offer a small discount for full upfront payment. Some providers offer quarterly payment plans to ease cash flow. For large-scale projects, milestone-based payments tied to installation and commissioning phases are common.
No, spare parts are not included in a standard Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC). The AMC covers preventive maintenance labour, troubleshooting, and repairs. Parts for a Gambro Artis system, like a blood pump or valve, would be quoted and billed separately. To include parts, you must opt for a Comprehensive Maintenance Contract (CMC), which has a higher premium but covers part replacement costs.
Franance can finance the entire cost of a Comprehensive Maintenance Contract (CMC), converting a large upfront payment into manageable monthly or quarterly installments. This allows a facility to get full parts-and-labour coverage for their Fresenius 5008S machines without a major capital outlay. It ensures budget predictability and avoids service disruption due to cash flow constraints, securing equipment uptime.
A third-party service contract is typically 20-40% cheaper than an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) contract. While the OEM provides brand-specific expertise, a reputable third-party provider offers comparable service levels with certified engineers and faster local response times. For a Fresenius 4008S, this means significant savings on your AMC without compromising on critical preventive maintenance and calibration schedules.
The standard SLA for a critical failure in Lagos is a 4-6 hour on-site response time. For a machine like the B. Braun Dialog+ going down mid-treatment, a priority service call ensures an engineer is dispatched immediately. For facilities in other major cities like Abuja or Port Harcourt, the response time is typically within 24 hours. Remote areas may experience a 48-72 hour response window.
A standard Service Level Agreement (SLA) guarantees specific response times, uptime percentages, and a schedule for Preventive Maintenance (PM). For a fleet of Nipro Surdial machines, it will define a 4-hour response for critical issues, a 95% uptime guarantee, and quarterly PM visits. The SLA also outlines the escalation procedure, reporting format, and penalties for non-compliance, ensuring service accountability.
Reputable providers use a digital service management system to track all requests and history. When you report an issue with a Fresenius 4008S, a ticket is created and you receive updates via email or a client portal. After each visit, a detailed service report is generated, documenting work done, parts used, and engineer recommendations. This creates a complete, auditable service history for each asset.
A realistic uptime guarantee for dialysis equipment under a CMC is 95-98%. This accounts for scheduled preventive maintenance, calibration, and potential rare component failures. For a busy dialysis center in Abuja running Gambro Artis systems, a 98% guarantee means the equipment is operational for patient use for all but a few hours per month. The guarantee is a key performance indicator in the service contract.
Emergency support is handled through a dedicated 24/7 hotline. When a critical failure occurs on a Fresenius 5008S machine on a Saturday, you call the hotline to speak directly with an on-call engineer for immediate troubleshooting. If the issue cannot be resolved remotely, an engineer is dispatched based on the SLA's emergency response terms, which typically mirror weekday critical response times in major cities.
The escalation process follows a clear, multi-level path defined in your SLA. If a field engineer cannot resolve an issue on a B. Braun Dialog+ within the agreed time, the issue is escalated to a Senior Technical Specialist. If it persists, it moves to the Head of Engineering. This structured protocol ensures complex problems receive higher-level expertise promptly, minimizing patient treatment delays.
Verify their capabilities by requesting engineer certifications, proof of training on your specific models like the Fresenius 4008S, and references from other hospitals. Ask to see their workshop and inventory of critical spare parts. A capable provider will have calibrated testing equipment, such as a dialysis machine analyzer, and can provide detailed PM checklists and service reports from current clients.
A nationwide provider offers standardized service across multiple states, ideal for hospital groups with facilities in Lagos, Abuja, and Kano. They have a larger engineering team and parts network. A regional provider offers deeper, more responsive service within a specific geographic area, like the South-West. They may provide faster response times and more personalized service for a single-location facility in Ibadan.
Outsourced renal service is generally better for a multi-location hospital group. A specialized provider offers dedicated expertise on complex machines like the Gambro Artis and maintains a broad inventory of spare parts, which is not cost-effective for an in-house team to manage across different sites. This model ensures consistent service standards, uptime, and compliance across all your locations without high specialized training costs.
Engineers servicing Nipro Surdial machines must have factory-level or equivalent third-party training certification specifically for that model. They should also possess a degree in Biomedical or Electrical Engineering and at least 3-5 years of hands-on experience with various dialysis machines. Ask for proof of their training certificates and their experience with troubleshooting common Nipro issues like flow errors or UF pump failures.
A local spare parts inventory is critical for minimizing downtime. A provider with a stock of common failure parts for a Fresenius 4008S—like blood pumps, valve boards, and sensors—in their Lagos warehouse can complete a repair in hours. A provider who must order parts from Europe introduces a 1-2 week delay due to shipping and customs clearance, leaving your machine out of service and impacting patient care.
A PM checklist for a B. Braun Dialog+ includes functional tests, calibration checks, and safety inspections. Key tasks involve calibrating the UF pump, pressure sensors, and conductivity cells. It also includes cleaning and inspecting fluid pathways, replacing the disinfectant filter, and running a full diagnostic cycle. The engineer provides a signed report confirming all parameters are within manufacturer specifications.
A dialysis RO system requires a comprehensive service visit at least semi-annually, with more frequent checks done by in-house staff. The semi-annual PM includes membrane cleaning or replacement, pump performance checks, and calibration of all monitors and sensors. Monthly tasks like pre-filter changes and daily water quality logging are crucial. This schedule ensures the water quality consistently meets AAMI standards.
After every service visit, the engineer provides a detailed field service report. This document lists the equipment model and serial number (e.g., Fresenius 5008S), the reported fault, the diagnostic steps taken, and the resolution. It also specifies any parts replaced, with their part numbers, and confirms that the machine passed all post-service safety and performance tests. This documentation is essential for accreditation and maintenance records.
Calibration is performed using specialized, certified test equipment like a digital pressure meter and a calibrated conductivity meter. For a Nipro Surdial machine, the engineer will adjust and verify temperature, pressure, conductivity, and flow rate parameters against the manufacturer's specifications. A calibration certificate is issued for each machine, providing an auditable record that the device is performing accurately and is safe for patient use.
Common failure points on the Gambro Artis system include issues with the touchscreen interface, failures in the blood pump module, and blockages in the complex hydraulic circuit. The UF control system can also be prone to sensor drift, requiring frequent recalibration. A robust preventive maintenance plan should include proactive inspection of these specific components to pre-emptively address potential failures and ensure consistent performance.
The best strategy is a planned phase-out and replacement program. For older Fresenius 4008B models, continue with a third-party service contract as long as spare parts are available. Simultaneously, use a financing solution like Franance to acquire newer models like the 5008S. This avoids a large capital expense while ensuring a smooth transition, preventing service disruption caused by obsolete equipment and unavailable parts.
The process involves four key steps over 1-2 weeks. First is the contract finalization and signing. Second, the provider conducts a site audit to tag all equipment (e.g., B. Braun Dialog+ machines) and assess their condition. Third, they hold a kickoff meeting with your clinical and biomedical teams to establish communication protocols. Finally, the first scheduled Preventive Maintenance cycle is planned and executed.
A typical timeline from equipment delivery to first patient use is 4-6 weeks. This includes 1-2 weeks for installation of the RO water system and dialysis machines like the Fresenius 4008S. This is followed by 1 week for rigorous commissioning, water quality testing, and machine calibration. The final 1-2 weeks are dedicated to comprehensive clinical staff training on machine operation and safety protocols.
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) requires that imported refurbished medical equipment meets specific quality and safety criteria under the SONCAP program. This involves a pre-shipment inspection to verify the refurbishment process, functional testing, and electrical safety compliance (IEC 60601-1). The machine, such as a refurbished Gambro Artis, must be accompanied by a Certificate of Conformity to be cleared through Nigerian customs.
This is achieved through a validated Reverse Osmosis (RO) system and a strict testing schedule. The RO system must be professionally installed and commissioned. Water must be tested monthly for chemical contaminants and quarterly for microbial levels by an accredited lab. Daily checks of chlorine and hardness levels before the RO unit are mandatory. This ensures the water used in your Fresenius machines is consistently safe.
The protocol is immediate escalation and activation of a contingency plan. First, call the service provider's 24/7 emergency line. While the engineer is en route (within 4-6 hours in Lagos), the clinical team must switch to a backup system if available, or safely conclude current treatments and reschedule patients. The provider's primary goal is to diagnose the fault—be it a pump failure or membrane issue—and restore water production immediately.
Service providers manage this through proactive communication and contingency planning. For scheduled public holidays, non-critical PMs are rescheduled. During unforeseen civil unrest, a remote-first support model is used, with engineers providing phone and video guidance. If on-site presence is critical for a machine like a B. Braun Dialog+, the provider will dispatch an engineer once it is confirmed safe to do so, maintaining constant communication.
Yes, some top-tier service providers offer loaner equipment as part of their premium contracts. If your Fresenius 5008S requires a major board replacement that will take a week to import, the provider can deliver a temporary loaner machine to your facility. This ensures you maintain your patient capacity and minimize revenue loss. This service is a key differentiator when selecting a provider and should be specified in your SLA.