SON Harps on Improved Product Quality

By Dike Onwuamaeze

The Director General of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Mr. Farouk Salim, has urged stakeholders in the healthcare delivery sector to take advantage of the offshore conformity assessment programme for SON-regulated imports (SONCAP) to improve the quality of their products and services to Nigerians.

Salim, made the statement recently, at an occasion to mark the 2021 World Metrology Day with the theme: “Measurement for Health.”

He said local manufacturing of medical equipment and machinery would gain a lot in accuracy of measurements from the calibration services offered by SON-promoted National Metrology Institute (NMI), Enugu with outreaches across the country.

He said the services of the NMI in ensuring accuracy of measurements in industry, trade and commerce was being expanded to all parts of Nigeria starting with Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt to bring its services nearer to stakeholders across the country and ensure great reduction in turnaround time in order to promote rapid industrialisation through standardisation in the country.

Salim, disclosed that the SON has provided substantial discounts for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) to enjoy the services of the NMI in line with the federal government’s economic diversification programme.

He stated that the NMI has over the years, developed capacity in primary standards of measurement in volume, flow, pressure, length and dimension, mass, force, temperature, electrical and metrology in chemistry amongst others for traceability of all secondary standards of measurement in Nigeria and the West African region.

SON’s chief executive urged major stakeholders in the healthcare delivery sector, including professional bodies and regulatory institutions, to factor accuracy of measuring instruments into their activities in order to deliver quality products and services for the wellbeing of Nigerians.

He said the theme of the 2021 celebration was in tandem with the realities of the global COVID-19 pandemic and was chosen to create awareness of the important role measurement plays in health and wellbeing of every individual.

Salim stressed the need to ensure that all measuring instruments in the health care delivery sector give accurate values that would support medical personnel in delivering quality services necessitated the SON’s investment in re-equipping the National Metrology Institute (NMI) for greater efficiency in calibration of measuring equipment nationwide.