Donating an ultrasound machine to a hospital in an underserved region sounds like a generous gesture — and it is. But on its own, it usually fails. The central message of an AIUM 2026 session on May 30 was blunt: global health initiatives with ultrasound only work when the focus is on building capacity, not merely delivering equipment. Three speakers shared field experiences that prove the point.
What “building capacity” means
“Building capacity is about strengthening systems,” summarized one of the presenters. In practice, that involves three pillars that must exist at the same time: solid infrastructure, available resources, and skilled end users. A cutting-edge CT or ultrasound scanner is useless without stable electricity, without maintenance, and — above all — without professionals trained to operate it and interpret the images.
That’s why successful missions go far beyond the hardware. Teams reported bringing power generators, solar panels, and even building proper storage areas to protect the equipment. Training combines didactic lectures, hands-on practice with the transducer, and case studies — a complete package that leaves the service able to carry on by itself after the visiting team leaves.
Haiti: scanners that become real exams
Yamilé Blain, a physician at the University of Miami, recounted her experience with three teaching hospitals in Haiti. In partnership with the Humanitarian Radiology Development (HRD) Corps, her team delivered ultrasound machines and trained local clinicians. The result didn’t stop at good intentions: between 2020 and 2022, the scanners were used in 1,458 female pelvic exams and 1,075 abdominal exams.
Those numbers are the proof of concept for the capacity-building model. This isn’t a machine gathering dust in a corner, but a tool woven into the care routine, generating real diagnoses for the local population. It’s exactly the kind of impact that separates a symbolic donation from an investment that transforms the health system.
Transcranial Doppler: cheap, portable, and powerful
Another front presented was transcranial Doppler (TCD), a technique that assesses cerebral blood flow. Its advantages make it ideal for low-resource settings: it’s portable, low-cost, non-invasive, and allows repeated, real-time assessments. One of the speakers reported opening six “schools of excellence” for TCD training in Zambia, Malawi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
TCD is especially valuable, for instance, in managing sickle cell disease, where monitoring cerebral blood flow helps prevent stroke in children. Bringing that capability to regions with high disease prevalence and few neurologists is a perfect example of how the right technology, in the right hands, saves lives.
Why this speaks to the rest of global imaging
The capacity-building logic dialogues directly with the advance of AI in ultrasound. Tools that guide acquisition and reduce operator dependence, as we discussed in covering the growing role of AI in ultrasound, can shorten the learning curve for the professionals trained on these missions. Likewise, models that extract clinical information from simple exams — such as the AI model for fetal lung maturity — multiply the value of every machine installed in the field.
The backdrop is the global shortage of imaging professionals, a problem not limited to developing countries. Even wealthy systems suffer chronic deficits, as we detailed in covering the NHS’s billion-dollar spending to cover its radiologist gap. Training people, at any latitude, is the variable that matters most.
The trap of donation without continuity
There’s a familiar pattern in humanitarian aid that the speakers were keen to fight: the equipment that arrives, shines for a few weeks, and then rots away with no parts, no training, and no one to repair it. That’s the opposite of strengthening systems. Sustainability, in this context, means thinking about the full cycle — power, maintenance, supplies, supervision, and staff renewal — before the first machine is even shipped.
Measuring impact is also part of the game. It isn’t enough to count how many scanners were donated; you have to track how many exams were actually performed, how many professionals remain active, and how many diagnoses changed management. That’s why the Haiti numbers — thousands of exams over three years — carried so much weight in the presentation: they turn goodwill into evidence. A scanner counted at the dock means nothing; an exam that changed a patient’s management means everything.
Lessons for Latin America
For countries of continental dimensions and stark regional inequalities, the AIUM message is especially useful. Telehealth programs, training of professionals in remote regions, and equipment maintenance must move together — there’s no point sending ultrasound machines to the hinterland without ensuring power, connectivity, supplies, and, above all, continuing training. “Ultrasound in Global Health” was a dedicated topic at the 2026 convention, a sign that the international community understands: the bottleneck is rarely the machine. It’s the system around it.
Source: AuntMinnie — “AIUM: Capacity building needed for global ultrasound initiatives”
