Ultrasound machine for your clinic: what to check before you buy

Before you buy an ultrasound machine for your clinic, decide exactly which scans you will offer, then match the probes, screen and format to those scans. Check NAFDAC registration for the exact model, get warranty, engineers, parts and training in writing, and confirm who on your team is qualified to scan.

What will your clinic actually scan?

Start with the patients you already see and the bookings you want more of. A fertility clinic, an antenatal practice, a physiotherapy centre and a general clinic need very different setups.

Write a short list before you speak to any supplier:

1. The scans. Name each type of scan you plan to offer in the first year.
2. The volume. Roughly how many scans a day, now and in a year.
3. The rooms. One dedicated room, or several rooms and wards.
4. The reports. How images and reports will be saved, printed or shared with referring doctors.

Hand this list to every supplier. It makes quotes comparable. Your medical director should sign off the clinical side; this post covers the buying side only.

Which probes do you need?

The probe (transducer) decides what the machine can do. The console without the right probes is an expensive screen.

• Ask which probes come in the quoted price, and which are extras.
• Ask for a written list of every probe the model supports, so you can add services later.
• Ask what a replacement probe costs and how long one takes to arrive in Lagos or Abuja.
• Ask how probes should be cleaned and stored, and which cleaning products the manufacturer allows.

Probes get dropped and cables get crushed. Plan for it before it happens on a full day of bookings.

Portable or cart-based?

Both can do the job. The right choice depends on how your clinic works.

• Cart-based suits a dedicated scan room with steady daily volume and a fixed workstation.
• Portable suits clinics that scan in more than one room, at the bedside or across sites.
• Check battery life, screen size and how the unit is secured when not in use.
• Check power: ask what the supplier recommends for voltage protection and backup, given your power supply.

Ask for a demonstration in your own room, on your own power, before you sign.

Is the ultrasound machine registered with NAFDAC?

NAFDAC’s Medical Devices and Related Products Regulations, 2024 say medical devices shall not be manufactured, imported, distributed, sold or used in Nigeria unless registered under those regulations (NAFDAC Medical Devices Regulations, 2024). The word “used” covers your clinic too.

What to check yourself:

• The packaging shows the NAFDAC REG. NO. as it appears on the Certificate of Registration.
• The certificate is current. Registration lasts five years unless cancelled, and NAFDAC can suspend or cancel it.
• The registration matches the exact model you are buying.

Our post on choosing medical equipment suppliers covers authorised agents, documents and payment red flags in more detail.

Buying a refurbished ultrasound machine

Refurbished units can make sense. Hold the seller to the same checks as a new one, plus these:

• A written record of what was replaced or repaired, with dates.
• The age of the unit and the probes, which may differ.
• Confirmation that the manufacturer still supports the model with parts and updates.
• A warranty in writing, starting from installation in your clinic.
• A test scan on your site before final payment.

If the seller cannot answer the registration question clearly, walk away or ask NAFDAC.

Service, warranty and training

A broken scanner cancels bookings the same morning. Get these answers in writing:

1. Warranty. What it covers, for how long, and what voids it. Are probes included?
2. Engineers. Where they are based and how fast they come after a fault report.
3. Loan unit. Whether you get one while a repair takes weeks.
4. Updates. Who installs them, and whether they cost extra.
5. Training. Who trains your team on settings, saving images, cleaning and daily checks, and when.

Pay in stages: part on order, part on delivery, the rest after installation, test and sign-off.

Who can perform scans in your clinic?

The Radiographers (Registration, etc.) Act defines radiography to include ultrasonic imaging. It bars unregistered people from holding posts, in public or private bodies, that involve those professional acts for gain. Scans in Nigeria are commonly done by radiographers registered with the Radiographers Registration Board of Nigeria, or by doctors registered with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria.

Before you buy, confirm who will scan, check their registration, and plan cover for leave. A machine with nobody qualified to use it earns nothing. For the rest of your setup, see our hospital equipment list for a new clinic.

The machine is ready. Are the bookings?

A new scan service needs patients who know it exists. That means showing up on Google when people search near you, answering every call and message fast, and confirming every appointment.

Kren is a done-for-you growth partner for private clinics in Lagos and Abuja. We set up and run how patients find you, how enquiries reach your desk, and the reminders that cut no-shows. Your own team does the final follow-up and booking. See how we handle patient enquiries and bookings and no-shows, or how we work with diagnostic centres.

Adding a scan room? On a 30-minute strategy call, we look at how patients will find it, reach you and book. Show me where my clinic is losing patients →

Questions clinic owners ask about buying an ultrasound machine

Must an ultrasound machine be registered with NAFDAC?

Yes. NAFDAC’s Medical Devices and Related Products Regulations, 2024 say medical devices shall not be imported, distributed, sold or used in Nigeria unless registered. Ask for the Certificate of Registration and check the number on the packaging matches it.

Is a refurbished ultrasound machine worth it?

It can be, with a written repair record, the age of the unit and probes, current registration, manufacturer support for the model and a warranty from installation. Test it on your site before final payment.

Who is allowed to perform ultrasound scans in a Nigerian clinic?

The Radiographers (Registration, etc.) Act includes ultrasonic imaging in radiography, and scans are commonly done by RRBN-registered radiographers or MDCN-registered doctors. Check each person’s registration before they start.