New-edge: Device Authority (MCA) chief executive Zamane Abdul Rahman (third from right) and Prof Dr Jasmy (second from right) looking at the newly launched electromagnetic capability-testing laboratory at the university in Skudai.

New-edge: Device Authority (MCA) chief executive Zamane Abdul Rahman (third from right) and Prof Dr Jasmy (second from right) looking at the newly launched electromagnetic capability-testing laboratory at the university in Skudai.

JOHOR BARU: The first electromagnetic capability-testing laboratory located within a higher education institution has been launched at the University Teknologi Malaysia (UTM).

The RM3mil facility, which would be utilised to conduct tests on medical devices before being sold in the market, is part of UTM’s Faculty of Bioscience and Medical Engineering in Skudai.

The faculty’s dean Prof Dr Jasmy Yunus said that the facility enables UTM to play an important role in Malaysia to improve the safety of medical device and equipment users and patients.

He added that the laboratory will also be used to conduct teaching and research in the area of electromagnetic such as electromagnetic waves on mobile phones and medical devices.

The university welcomes companies and medical equipment suppliers to send their products to the laboratory for testing, as it will cut down costs significantly as compared to sending them for similar tests overseas.

“For example, a charging device for heart patients could cost hundreds of thousands of ringgit per device if sent overseas for testing,” he said during a press conference after the launch of the facility on Monday.

He said that the facility was also the university’s effort to support the government in the implementation of the Medical Device Regulations 2012, which came into effect in July, 2013.

Under the regulation, companies dealing with selling, importing and distributing medical device are required to register with the Medical Device Authority (MDA) under the Health Ministry to continue doing their business.

Prof Jasmy said the laboratory could provide a supporting role in testing the products so that the company could have supporting documents when seeking accreditation from MDA.

He said the facility, the third one in the country after two commercial ones, was built by a United Kingdom-based company, has been tested by a company from the United States.

The laboratory was lined with cones and materials to block out electromagnetic waves to prevent interference from outside the laboratory when conducting tests and has a joint control room to overlook the testing process.

source:The Star