Rent rather than buy, medical equipment for home use
We should not buy medical equipment for home use – one should rent, whenever possible. Why? We get calls from hundreds of home users to sell their hardly used or even un-used medical equipment such as Bipap, CPAP, Nebulizer, Oxygen Concentrator, Hospital bed, air mattress, suction machine etc. But there are hardly any buyers!!!
Reasons why we should not buy medical equipment for home use
- Short-term use – Most people need medical equipment at home for a short period, at best a few months. This could be during rehabilitation after injury or recovering after discharge from hospital treatment. Very often bed-ridden old patients need to be taken care of at home, but they may expire soon after. In all these cases home users find that the sparingly used equipment is in excellent condition, but has no use to them. It may be better to rent equipment such as oxygen concentrators, hospital beds etc., in such cases, rather than have a brand new equipment lying un-utilised at home.
- Cheaper to rent for short-term – The cost of renting is usually lower than the price recovered while selling a used equipment (however sparingly used).
- Hassle of getting appropriate accessories, usage know-how – When you rent medical equipment for use at home, the service provider would help with repairs if any and provide the full set of accessories required. The hassle of figuring out how to use the equipment and problems of servicing it are not yours.
- Service & maintenance taken care of by vendor – The general service & maintenance of the equipment on rent are regularly done by the vendor. For any reason the equipment is not working satisfactorily, a replacement would be provided.
- No hassle of disposal – The main problem users face with medical equipment at home is how to dispose them off. Large equipment like patient cots occupy a lot of space at home and people are eager to dispose them off.
Why do we end up buying?
Why do we end-up buying medical equipment for home use when we could easily rent them? The following are the top reasons why.
- Urgency during Discharge – When a patient is getting discharged from the hospital and needs continued care at home for a short period, the family is keen to tie-up all requirements before they leave the hospital. Many large corporate hospitals have tie-ups with equipment vendors and some even have stores in the hospital premises for all sorts of medical equipment and devices needed at home. Very often the hospital staff and nurses at the time of discharge would recommend the patient family to contact these equipment vendors. Exploring other options that may be available, including rental outside required some work and time, which the stressed-out family seldom has. This is how we end up buying, without thinking of what they would do to dispose after the use.
- Online retailers spend significant amounts to rank high on Google – Even if the equipment is not purchased right out of the hospital, most people these days search for options online. The prime real-estate on Google search is occupied by online retailers who pay big bucks in advertisements and hence show-up on top. Very few people are really looking for second hand options, that too only when there are budgetary constraints.
Medical equipment rental is sustainable
Rental of medical equipment for home use is not only cost-effective and convenient but also an eco-friendly, sustainable option.
Medical equipment contributes to about 8% of the annual e-waste production globally and it is only growing. Wasting medical devices and equipment by letting them idle away at home of junking after sparing use is a waste of resources. Renting medical equipment is a better use of resources.
PrimedeQ is an eMarketplace for medical equipment. We offer all types of medical equipment on rent. One can also buy, sell and avail medical equipment repair & maintenance services at www.Primedeq.com. Contact us at +918971223957 or +917019759765 for all your medical equipment needs.
https://in.linkedin.com/in/shanthi-mathur-ab07838