You're preaching to the converted there, Bill. I can recall banging on about "appropriate technology" as long ago as 1984 (whilst in Nigeria ... all of it falling on deaf ears, of course:- "we want the same equipment as you have in London")!
Wants and needs. Two different things entirely. In my opinion, proper hospitals (that is, not monuments to architects, engineers and government ministers) should be minimalistic. Oh yes, back to "less is more".
That way, there would be a fighting chance of keeping them airy (that is, ventilated) and clean. All that, plus decent, basic, grub and a return to basic nursing (
aka caring) would surely lead to Positive Patient Outcomes! The UK has tried bunging mega-bucks at government hospitals. All the latest "must-have" kit. Cost-effective? Money well spent? I'll let you decide. But just remember that (as I have said many time before), patients are looked after by
nurses not equipment.
But I digress!
Just imagine the fun to be had when all today's "Gee Whiz" techno-crap finds its way out to "other parts of the world" in ten or so years time.
I totally agree that the kit doesn't need to have all those "essential" (not) features, and neither does the anaesthesia machine have to be able to talk to the ... er, toaster!
But ... about the code. The only way to retain any sort of control is to write it yourself, of course. Either that, or re-engineer the garbage (mostly) that's already been written (usually in a tearing rush to be "first to market").
Unfortunately, and as we have discussed before, Britain no longer manufactures much in the way of good old basic kit that could be beaten back into shape with a plough spanner. Be it motor-bikes, real Land-Rovers, aircraft, BMC motor-cars, tractors ... or medical equipment. In fact, what was once the "Workshop of the World" now hardly makes anything at all.
The best we can hope for these days is for blokes like us to develop the advanced
Aralditing skills needed to keep the imported rubbish hanging together long enough for someone to order up a new one. Let's be honest, most of the junk is cheap enough.
But ... about the defibs:- that's why it's best to keep them on "crash" carts!