Abstract

Introduction
What seems to be the most expensive equipment in the beginning may prove to be less costly in the long run. A study was conducted to find out the total cost of maintenance, of identified equipment borne by a tertiary care institution.

Methodology
The study was a longitudinal study consisting of both prospective data collection and retrospective data collection. The cost of maintenance was taken from April 2014 to March 2016 (Retrospective) and April 2016 to September 2016 (Prospective), by the records maintained by the M&E store. Prospective data collection was also done to collect information of cost of repair of the medical equipment. The cost to service ratio was calculated.

Results
Total of 250 medical equipment in various clinical areas of the hospital were evaluated. The average CSR for the entire duration of study was 6.4%. The average annual CSR ranged from 5.6% - 6.8%.

Conclusion
The CSR ranged from 4.74% to 7.7%. There were very few repairs undertaken by the hospital stores. It is recommended that adequate budget may be allocated for maintenance of equipment and an in house mechanism of repair.