National Reference Lab gets GNBS certification

Dec 21, 2010 News

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After more than two years of existence, the National Public Health Reference Laboratory was yesterday certified by the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS).  Speaking at a simple ceremony to mark the occasion, Director of the Laboratory, Dr Colin Roach, noted that it is indeed a special day for the people of Guyana as much as it is for laboratory services nationally.
And according to him, the move yesterday demonstrates the commitment to provide quality laboratory services countrywide. This accomplishment, he said, further aligns the local facility as it assumes the role as the leading laboratory, providing public health and reference diagnostic tests for management and prevention of communicable and non-communicable diseases.
“We are indeed grateful for all the help and assistance we have received…as we strive to improve the health of the nation.”
According to Candelle Walcott-Bostwick, Head of the Conformity Assessment Department within the GNBS, who handed over the certificate to Minister of Health Dr Leslie Ramsammy, the certificate will be valid for the next two years.
Minister Ramsammy noted that Guyana has demonstrated that with commitment and hard work a facility like the National Reference Laboratory can prove to be successful. He disclosed that the health facility has grown from an initial staff of eight or 10 people to more than 30 persons over the few years of its vibrant existence and already “we have added important areas such as immunology, microbiology and molecular biology.”
He noted that it is a signal achievement that Guyana through the Reference Laboratory has the capacity for PCR-DNA and RNA Laboratory testing which is done routinely. Viral load testing for HIV patients is also done at the laboratory, the Minister said.
“I am glad that we no longer have to rely on sending our specimens to South Africa through CDC for testing so that we can know the HIV state of our newborn children.”
In handing over the certificate the GNBS representative, Ms Walcott-Bostwick, acknowledged that a lot of hard work was put into implementing a quality management system to meet the requirements of the GYS: 170 standard.
She noted that the implementation of the management system is in fact critical for laboratory quality.
“In Guyana we are fortunate that we are the only Caricom country that has a national standard for laboratories to meet before you attain that level of accreditation so that you can see this achievement as step one towards accreditation and this will provide you with that international recognition and mark of competence of the type of testing that you are providing at this laboratory.”
Nonetheless, Walcott-Bostwick asserted that the national standard is almost as good as the international standard as most of the requirements are addressed through the ISO15189 standard for medical laboratories.
“This laboratory has been showing that it has the ability to implement the requirements of that standard and also to provide accurate and reliable tests results.”
The quality system at the Reference Laboratory, according to Walcott-Bostwick, covers areas for personnel competence, it ensures that it is using equipment that are calibrated and maintained and it ensures that the laboratory has the adequate facilities to perform the testing and also ensures that there is a system in place that prevents samples from being mixed up thereby causing in accurate results.
However, she warned that the journey only now begins. “You have to consistently implement the system and also improve on it and aim towards the accreditation standard and beyond.
“As they say quality is a moving target so don’t think we are certified and this is it.  We (GNBS) would come unannounced to conduct surveillance to see how you are implementing your system…and that you are doing all the things that you would have documented in your quality manual.”
It is a requirement in the Health Facility Act that all medical laboratories must be certified, that is, implementing the requirements of the GYS:170 standard so that the
quality service offered can be monitored to guarantee reliable and accurate results.
“There is no turning back now you have made the choice to prove to your customers…as the National Public Health Laboratory other labs are looking to you for reference. They would want to use you as their benchmark,” Walcott-Bostwick said.
According to Dr Barbara Allen of the US Centres for Diseases Control and Prevention, being certified cannot become a reality without a lot of hard work and a lot of visionary leadership.
She emphasised the importance for clinicians to know that there is a laboratory that is certified to send specimens and receive accurate, timely and high quality tests results.
“Our treatment of patients depends on that. Mistreatment of patients may occur because of inaccurate or untimely lab results coming back.
It is something to be extremely proud of that you have been able to achieve a certificate. It will continue to be hard work…” Dr Allen stressed. The certification of the Reference Laboratory yesterday represents the second public health facility to be fully certified by the GNBS.
Other laboratories certified already for this year are the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, Dr Balwant Singh Hospital, Eureka Medical Laboratory, Woodlands Hospital and Sigma Labs.

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