The Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has harped on the adopted 16 international standards on essential electro-medical equipment to tackle Covid-19 pandemic by Nigeria.
The Director-General, SON, Barrister Osita Aboloma disclosed this during meeting of the Nigerian National Mirror/Technical Committee on Electromedical Equipment in the course of the week, saying there are increasing demands worldwide for the manufacturing and consumption of quality, safe and dependable medical equipment as well as systems in their varied brands.
In a statement issued by the agency, he noted that this is in response to the emergency demands foisted on medical systems globally.
Aboloma also hinted that the move has consequently challenged National Standards development bodies to ensure the availability of standards towards saving lives.
The statement further noted that the SON chief executive who was represented by the Director, Standards Development, SON, Mrs. Chinyere Egwuonwu, pointed out that the 16 International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)/International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) standards has become a global requirements in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
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“The global workplace has been drastically altered, necessitating that the meeting is conducted virtually for safety and in compliance with the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)’s directive on social distancing as a measure to mitigate further spread of the dangerous coronavirus,” Aboloma said.
He maintained that SON is committed to always guarantee the availability of standards, creation of sensitisation programmes and promotion of strict implementation and compliance in partnership with relevant stakeholders and regulatory authorities.
Aboloma, however, averred that the development and subsequent implementation and enforcement of the 16 standards, when approved by the Standards Council, would amongst others, encourage and support local production of medical devices, equipment and systems; provide the necessary benchmark to adjudge imported medical equipment in the category; assure compliance to medical safety standards in terms of performance, reliability, accuracy/precision, patients’ safety, precise communication protocol with other medical devices as well as handlers’ safety.