Ghana’s growing biomedical engineering industry is making strides in healthcare delivery, but it faces significant challenges in developing capacity to address the design of low-cost innovative solutions.

To address these gaps, Mangel Klicks, a leading biomedical engineering company, has forged a strategic collaboration with the Department of Biomedical Engineering of the University of Ghana for over a decade.

The Chief Executive Officer of Mangel Klicks Limited, Dr. Charles Kwamena Ackon recently delivered a keynote lecture organised by the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the School of Engineering Sciences on the topic, "Successes and Challenges of Local Biomedical Engineering Industries: The Story of Mangel Klicks Limited".

Dr. Ackon, provided insights into the sector's current landscape, touching on its significant possibilities, successes, and the challenges that still lie ahead in achieving its goals.

The Head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Prof. Samuel Kojo Kwofie who hosted the lecture, said the Keynote Series is a coveted opportunity granted to well accomplished individuals to share the landscape of their successes and challenges, as well as their significant contributions in the sector.

The seminar, which was largely attended by industry experts, students and faculty members, aimed to connect the students with Mangel Klicks' contribution to innovations in the industry and to help foster the need for effective collaboration between academia and industry to address existing gaps in healthcare delivery in Ghana.

Dr. Charles Kwamena Ackon highlighted the mission, vision, and pioneering efforts of Mangel Klicks, a company that has become synonymous with biomedical engineering excellence and quality business practices, focusing on the introduction of medical devices and turnkey hospital solutions, and more. The company has been instrumental in providing affordable, patient-centered healthcare solutions to many hospitals across the country.

He emphasised the company’s longstanding collaborative engagement with the Department of Biomedical Engineering by saying, "we started our internship programs with the help of Prof. Elsie Effah Kaufmann, the then head of the department. Since then, we have had close to two decades of relationship with the Department through an academia-industrial partnership, offering guest lectures in courses such as Introduction to Biomedical Engineering, Local Issues in Biomedical Engineering, and Professional Development Seminars."

"We also provide internship and training placement programs, as well as job opportunities for selected graduates. The student internship and traineeship programs support foreign student placements through IAESTE Ghana (e.g., University of Lund, Sweden), as well as for the five key universities offering biomedical engineering degrees in Ghana: University of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, All Nations University, Valley View University, and Academic City University College, he stressed”

Dr. Ackon praised the University of Ghana Department of Biomedical Engineering for pioneering the training of next generation of biomedical engineers.

"The future of biomedical engineering in Ghana lies in the hands of the young innovators being trained here. We are seeing more homegrown talent eager to solve real-life problems, and that is where the transformation will happen", he stated.

While acknowledging recent successes, such as the Ministry of Health's draft policy on medical devices that regulates quality standards in specifications and procurement, Dr. Ackon also pointed out several challenges hindering the full potential of Ghana’s biomedical engineering industry. These include the high cost of doing business, late arrival of procured goods, inconsistent and insufficient capital investment, exchange rate fluctuations, and inadequate sector-specific expertise.

According to Dr. Ackon, many promising innovations never make it to the market due to the high costs involved in prototyping, testing, clinical trials and mass production. Another key challenge is the limited infrastructure and regulatory frameworks to support biomedical companies.

“We have the ideas and the talent, but the support systems need improvement. Navigating the regulatory process for medical devices in Ghana poses challenges, which delays the introduction of life-saving technology into hospitals,” he explained.

He also emphasised the importance of government intervention, particularly in terms of policy reforms, to make it easier for biomedical startups to access funds and resources, which would be a great motivator.

The reliance on imports for critical medical equipment is another issue, with Dr. Ackon advocating for greater investment in locally manufactured devices to reduce costs and ensure sustainability.

He also highlighted the need for appropriate measures to address issues such as the low number of industries with a biomedical engineering focus, limited advocacy for biomedical competencies (though it is growing), and the lack of medical exhibitions and fairs for showcasing new and ultramodern healthcare innovations and technologies.

He called for the creation of a robust healthcare ecosystem where engineers, healthcare professionals, policymakers, academia and others work together to create lasting and tangible solutions.

Dr. Ackon captivated the audience with his journey as a pharmacist to a biomedical engineering industrialist. Students, faculty, and industry representatives alike were drawn to his inspiring story and insights he shared about navigating the unique landscape of the industry in Ghana.

In a closing remark, Prof. Samuel Kojo Kwofie also pointed out that one of the primary challenges is the lack of adequate funding for research and development.

He called for increased collaboration between academia and industry to produce the next generation of biomedical engineers.

“The Department of Biomedical Engineering is the leading training and research institution in the subregion, and we are ready to continue our partnerships with relevant stakeholders to provide innovative local solutions in the healthcare sector”, he hinted.

Mangel Klicks’ Contributions to Biomedical Innovation in Ghana

Founded close to two decades ago, Mangel Klicks has been a concept and a FELT movement for healthcare solutions, improvements, and advancement. Recently restructured to achieve the tenets of its core values of “QEICE – Quality, Excellence, Integrity, Compassion and Empathy”.

Under a dedicated and strategic leadership, Mangel Klicks, a mainly people-centred and reputable Integrated Healthcare company offers integrated healthcare systems, providing pharma, medical devices, and hospital turnkey project solutions among others in West Africa.  The company is progressively expanding its mission, scope and presence both regionally and globally with ongoing drive through medical devices distribution, expertise in liquid oxygen generation, telemetry, artificial intelligence, hospital turnkey solutions and more.

Mangel Klicks is known for its innovation in supplying bespoke medical devices tailored to general hospitals, ambulatory and specialized healthcare needs. The company’s services and products have been crucial in addressing some of the infrastructural gaps in Ghana’s healthcare delivery system.

Dr. Ackon, a registered pharmacist and biomedical engineering consultant, who leads Mangel Klicks has worked to ensure that its products are not only functional with long term warranties and services, but also accessible and affordable within the assigned best total cost of ownership. The goal of the firm has always been to bridge medical device and hospital infrastructure gap with medium to high-end technologies. Mangel Klicks collaborates with other overseas biomedical and healthcare companies and institutions to provide and enhance quality healthcare.