KEBS calls for calibration for medical equipment in a bid to enhance patient safety
The Kenya Bureau of Standards(KEBS) has called upon stakeholders in the healthcare sector to collaborate with the standards body in ensuring that medical devices are regularly calibrated.
Speaking during World Metrology Day Celebrations, KEBS Managing Director Bernard Njiraini said that it will help to avoid erroneous measurements that can compromise a patient’s wellbeing.
The theme for World Metrology Day being “Measurement for Health” Njiraini created awareness of the important role measurement plays in health, and in the wellbeing of every one.
“Medical devices are key in diagnosis and treatment of disease. However, due to constant use, these equipment are prone to drifting and damage which impacts their performance. If a patient’s physiological, biochemical, physical, and other parameters cannot be accurately measured, the resulting decision on treatment therapy based on false test results can severely jeopardise preservation of life,” said Njiraini.
The Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Industrialisation, Betty Maina, reiterated the crucial role the health sector plays in sustaining economic growth and development, job creation and poverty alleviation.
She expressed optimism in the application measurement for effective and efficient delivery of healthcare in the country and support for quick recovery from the pandemic.
She urged that all instruments and equipment used in health institutions be accurately calibrated to ensure the highest degree of quality control and patient protection.
World Metrology Day celebrations is always marked annually on 20th May this year’s aim being to raise awareness on the significance of measurement in healthcare against the backdrop of the Covid-19pandemic.
The science of measurement, plays a central role in scientific discovery and innovation, industrial manufacturing and international trade, in improving the quality of life and in protecting the global environment.
The original aim of the Metre Convention is the world-wide uniformity of measurement to remain as important today as it was in 1875.
Globally, World Metrology Day is jointly celebrated by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) and the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML).
