National Public Lab gets Int’l Accreditation

The National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) has been accredited by the Jamaica National Agency of Accreditation (JANAAC).

The official documents were presented at the JANAAC  awards ceremony held at the Knutsford Court Hotel in New Kingston on June 9.

The NPHL was assessed based on the International Standardization Organization (ISO) 15189:2012- medical laboratories requirements for quality and competence. The accreditation is for a four-year period with annual surveillance and assessment.

Speaking in an interview with the JIS News, Director at the National Laboratory Services of Jamaica (NLSJ), Angela Scott said the accreditation certifies the lab’s testing competence, which will give the entity an advantage in the marketplace.

“More labs will use and recommend the NPHL as the preferred facility… patients will also feel safer to visit our public labs,” she noted.

She said the facility will also be able to assist other labs across the island in improving their quality management systems.

Dr. Scott told JIS News that having the seal of approval holds the lab to a higher standard.

“It is not just about test results. It’s about the processes within the lab; how to clean the computer monitors, buying recommended devises, monitoring customer satisfaction and even staff welfare,”  she pointed out.

Dr. Scott commended the NPHL team for their commitment in achieving the milestone, noting that the process took years of hard work and involved rigorous evaluation of the lab’s management and technical competences.

She expressed gratitude for the training provided by JANAAC  and the mentoring support from the Ministry of Health, the United States Centre for Disease Control, and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

She is advising other labs to visit JANAAC to get more information about accreditation.

For her part, Chief Executive Officer at JANAAC, Sharonmae Shirley, said that the accreditation of medical laboratories is extremely important in the global marketplace.

She said in order for Jamaica to benefit from medical tourism, the country must provide a world-class health service that conforms to international standards and best practices.

“JANAAC’s medical lab accreditation is the gateway to the country becoming the place to treat patients from all over the world,” she told JIS News.

The NPHL is a part of the NLSJ which includes the Blood Bank and the Environmental Laboratory.

The entity provides routine and specialised testing in several areas to hospital and health centre patients in the public sector and gives referral services to public and private labs.

The NPHL is the first public medical lab to be accredited.  Caledonia Medical,  which is a private facility has been accredited by JAANAC.