The Regional Service of the Clinical Engineering department
was established in the spring of 1979 with the participation of the administrators
from the regional hospitals of the Dr Georges-L. Dumont, The Moncton
Hospital, Stella-Maris-de-Kent, Sackville Memorial Hospital, Miramichi
Hospital in Newcastle, Hotel-Dieu Hospital in Chatham and the Albert
County Hospital.
During the first few years, the department was focused
on servicing medical equipment. The development of a corrective and preventive
maintenance program, initial inspection program and the development of
a verification protocol was one of the first tasks entrusted to the personnel
of the service. Since then, the service has seen remarkable progress.
1982, the service expanded to include the maintenance of medical
imaging equipment.
1984, a computerized electrocardiogram reading
system was bought and the management of the equipment became the
responsibility of the Clinical Engineering department. This system
serves seventeen (17) hospital centers in the province of New Brunswick.
1987, the service implemented a maintenance program
for anesthetic equipment.
1993, a maintenance program for laboratory equipment
was established. The maintenance on the equipment of the new Oncology
Center in the regional hospital of Dr Georges-L. Dumont was also
implemented.
1993, an international program was launched it being the association between
the service and the Hospital Francois Dunan de l’archipel de St-Pierre
et Miquelon, France.
1995, a research and development program in association
was started with the University of Moncton.
1996, a program setting up the maintenance of medical
equipment for the Air Ambulance Service commenced.
1997, a program setting for international project
with ‘Agnibilékrou en Côte D’Ivoire’.
A hospital maintenance training program with Kingdom of Morocco.
A teaching program for international project with ‘centre CANADO
technique d’Haiti’.
In 1998, participation in hospital project in Kuwait.
Development of software for medical equipment Management.
In 1999, hospital moving project in Chili. Management
of Y2K project.
In 2000, implementation of medical equipment management
software for 8 hospital corporations in New Brunswick (Atlantic Canada).
In 2002, development of the new version of the
RMS software began.
The Regional Clinical Engineering Service now has a
team of one (1) Clinical Engineer, twenty five (25) technologists and
two (2) secretaries to manage more than ten thousand (10,000) pieces
of equipment worth close to one hundred millions dollars ($100,000,000).