“At long last, the long-awaited International Accreditation has been granted to Eastern Regional Hospital Laboratory Koforidua, the country’s shining flower.”
“It all began with MLS Francisca Dzata (RTD), who propelled the Eastern Regional Hospital Laboratory to an international level.” MLS Francis Ussher also advocated for the Laboratory’s development at the national and international levels. MLS Samuel Azumah Nii Morton has finally brought the Laboratory to the promised land of International Accreditation, and I, Rev George Danquah Damptey, have been praying for everyone.”
H.E. Virginia Palmer, the US Ambassador to Ghana has paid a courtesy call on the Health Minister, Hon. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu in his office.
Welcoming the Ambassador, Hon. Agyeman-Manu thanked H.E. Palmer for the visit and acknowledged the US Government’s support over the years. pic.twitter.com/nPd30YwNnI
— Ministry of Health, Ghana (@mohgovgh) August 31, 2022
These were the words of the Eastern Regional Medical Laboratory Scientist, Ghana.
The background to these words was to express how the staff of the Eastern Regional Hospital Laboratory (ERHL) felt when the Medical Laboratory Department of the Eastern Regional Hospital, Koforidua, Ghana was awarded the Certificate of Accreditation after successfully meeting the requirements for Quality Assurance and Competence in the field of Medical Testing on 17th August, 2022.
The Quality And Accreditation Institute (QAI), a Centre for Laboratory Accreditation has assessed and issued a Certificate of Accreditation to the Eastern Regional Hospital Laboratory. This international accreditation (ISO 15189:2012) was issued after the Medical Laboratory Scientists in the facility met all the conditions of medical laboratory testing in the facility. This means that the results one receives for tests performed in this laboratory will be comparable to what one receives globally in medical laboratories that adhere to the International Standards required for Medical Laboratory testing.
In attaining such heights, facility managers and staff of laboratories must be committed to the set quality management systems and be consistent for a period not less than two years in most cases. Medical Laboratory testing needs competence, knowledge, skills, and continuous practice. It requires constant use of one’s ability to adhere to quality management systems. In brief, one needs to standardize the preanalytical, analytical, and post-analytical procedures in a safe environment with proper records keeping.
The regional hospital which serves as a referral center for nearby communities has a laboratory that serves in blood banking, microbiology, haematology, chemical pathology, serology, and immunology for the diagnosis of medical conditions which are necessary for patient care. Laboratory testing and diagnosis form a larger part of clinical decisions and need trusted results. Implementation of quality management systems assure that errors are minimized in producing medical laboratory results for patient care. Such ISO 15189:2012 Accreditation confirms that a facility adheres to the required standards and
for that matter, one can trust the results they generate to samples analyzed.
The Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists (GAMLS), do, hereby, commend the Medical Laboratory Scientists serving in the Eastern Regional Hospital Laboratory for their professionalism and hard work towards the attainment of such feat. The professional body is proud of the achievement and extends words of congratulations to all staff of the Department and Laboratory Management for leading a good course. This certification is the first to be received by any Ghana Health Service facility in Ghana.
It is worth noting that achieving this feat was impossible without the commitment from the Management of the Hospital, the support and direction from the Clinical Laboratory Unit, Institutional Care Division, Ghana Health Service (CLU-ICD-GHS) and the United States Pharmacopoeia Convention to the Laboratory over the period.
We, therefore, call on the Management of hospitals in Ghana to support the Quality Management System programmes rolled out across Ghana by the respective agencies.
GAMLS encourages other medical laboratories across the nooks and crannies of the country to emulate efforts of Koforidua Regional Laboratory to meet the requirements for quality and competence in the field of medical testing in Ghana.
