ABU DHABI, May 20, 2021- The Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council (QCC) today stressed the significance of metrology in developing the UAE’s health sector by facilitating globally benchmarked measurement standards for medical devices as well as other healthcare and diagnostic services.
In a statement to WAM on the World Metrology Day 2021 on May 20, QCC said that the supporting services provided by the Council to the health sector of the UAE ensured quality, meeting the needs and aspirations of consumers and institutions alike. QCC’s services were in line with its endeavors to support international metrology organisations and other relevant government bodies in raising the awareness of the vital role of metrology in everyday life.
Saeed Al Muhairi, Executive Director of the Emirates Metrology Institute (EMI), said: “The UAE has always focused on developing the health sector equipping it with the latest medical devices, equipment and laboratories to keep pace, and sometimes even exceed, global developments in this sector. We realised the importance of metrology early on and its social linkages as well its role in facilitating innovation and health infrastructure development, in line with the UAE’s Vision 2030 goals and the vision of our wise leadership.”
Al Muhairi emphasised the great importance the UAE gives to the health sector and the directives of its leadership in supporting and developing it to provide the best-in-class health care to the community members from all walks of life. The UAE’s national health agenda is focused on preventive care as well as to reduce the rate of lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes, heart and cancer. In addition, developing health systems capable to deal with epidemics and other health risks is also pursued robustly.
According to Al Muhairi, providing high-quality health care needs high-precision physical, chemical and biological measurements that help proper diagnosis leading to safe and effective treatment, and metrology plays a primary role in this.
The development of metrology in the UAE was in line with the industrial and scientific renaissance the country achieved in precision industries and scientific research as part of the growth of non-oil economy. This required development of best practices in calibration and harmonization of national standards with international benchmarks, he said.
Realising the importance of a sophisticated metrological infrastructure to keep pace with the world and to catalyse economic development, QCC has taken upon itself to enhance the role of metrology in supporting various industrial and commercial sectors of Abu Dhabi, paving the way for improved competitiveness of national industries in the regional and global markets.
On the role of the EMI in calibrating medical devices, Al Muhairi said that the institute’s infrastructure included a temperature laboratory, pressure test, mass, volume and flow test facilities, and an electrical laboratory equipped with the devices to calibrate medical devices and ensure their measurement sequences match with national standards, thereby guaranteeing high quality medical measurements supporting effective treatment to patients.
He said EMI was in the process of setting up a chemistry laboratory that will support the needs of the country’s vital sectors, including the health sector, in chemical measurements, in addition to calibration of medical devices, further enhancing awareness on the important role of metrology in the health sector and to the health and well-being of each and every one.
Al Muhairi said the institute provides a technical training service to healthcare workers in calibration training. In EMI’s measurement, analysis and calibration laboratories, the effort is to qualify technicians and workers and raise the level of their theoretical and practical capabilities.
EMI provides calibration services for diagnostic medical devices such as thermometers, pressure gauges and body mass scales, helping accurate health decision-making and in turn diagnosis, treatment and medications in proper quality and quantity, he said.
Al Muhairi pointed out EMI also has the capability to calibrate the medical devices used in the treatment phase, such as devices used for pumping liquid medicines, incubators, climate chambers used to store medicines, etc.…
EMI was established as one of the key pillars of QCC, to develop an efficient infrastructure for metrology and to be the measurement reference body for Abu Dhabi and the UAE health and industry sectors contributing to reducing cost and time, facilitating international acceptance of national industries and improving production capacity and safety.
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