Medical equipment list for general practitioners
Everything a general practitioner needs to equip a consulting room: devices, consumables, instruments and furniture, with the suppliers who carry them in Africa.
Opening or re-equipping a general practice raises the same question every time: what do you actually need, and where do you buy it without paying twice the right price? This guide lists the equipment a general practitioner uses day to day, grouped the way you will shop for it on MedicalExpo Africa.
General care and diagnostics
The instruments you reach for at every consultation. Blood pressure monitors (wrist, arm and automatic), stethoscopes, infrared and digital thermometers, pulse oximeters, and contact gel for ultrasound probes.
- Wrist and arm blood pressure monitors, manual or automatic
- Single and dual head stethoscopes
- Infrared and digital thermometers
- Finger pulse oximeters
- Glucose meters and test strips
Hygiene and consumables
This is the recurring cost of a practice, and the one worth negotiating on volume. Examination couch paper, cotton wool, latex gloves, hand sanitiser, reinforced sterile gowns, KN95 masks and 96% alcohol.
- Examination couch rolls and absorbent cotton
- Latex and nitrile gloves
- Antibacterial gel and surface disinfectant
- Reinforced sterile gowns and KN95 masks
Medical wear
Disposable overshoes, patient gowns, surgical caps, unisex clogs, disposable aprons and scrub trousers. Buy washable items for staff and disposable ones for patients.
Monitoring and screening
Equipment that turns a consulting room into a practice that can follow a patient over time: foetal monitors, ambulatory blood pressure recorders, electric nebulisers and professional blood pressure kits.
Ultrasound and electrocardiography
The largest single investment in most practices. Portable black and white scanners start low; colour Doppler and fixed systems cost considerably more. Refurbished units from GE, Toshiba, Hitachi and Aloka are a serious option when the budget is tight — ask the supplier for the service history.
- Portable and fixed ultrasound scanners
- Colour Doppler systems
- Electrocardiographs
Furniture and logistics
Electric examination couches, Mayo tables, treatment trolleys, stainless steel step stools, storage units, three-panel screens and consulting stools. Furniture is heavy and expensive to ship — prefer a supplier in your own country or a neighbouring one.
How to buy well
Three habits save money. Group your consumables with one supplier to get volume pricing. Always ask for the warranty and the after-sales terms in writing, especially on imaging equipment. And request several quotes: on MedicalExpo Africa you can send the same request to several suppliers and compare what comes back.
This list is not exhaustive, but it covers what a general practice needs on day one. Browse the catalogue by category to see what suppliers in your country have in stock.