The pathology laboratory of the Madras Medical College and the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) has received certification from the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) as an accredited testing laboratory.
On Tuesday, RGGGH dean E. Theranirajan formally handed over the certificate issued by NABL to director of pathology Bharathi Vidhya Jayanthi.
A three-member team from NABL had conducted an inspection of the laboratory in December last, and the certification was issued in February.
“The accreditation will mean that the laboratory is standardised, and all procedures are carried out as per protocols, starting with receiving samples to issuing the reports,” Dr. Theranirajan said.
Getting the “NABL Accredited Testing Laboratory” status was the outcome of two years of work, a professor said.
“It is important for a laboratory to give accurate and quality reports. There are so many procedures involved from the moment a laboratory receives a blood sample. This starts with alloting an identity number for the patient to how the specimen is processed. It is important that our machines are in working condition, and are calibrated every year as per international standards,” she said.
She added that documentation for each and every machine was done every day. “It is important that we provide accurate diagnosis for our patients, the majority of whom are in the BPL category. So we worked for two years and put in place protocols to run each test perfectly as per international standards. Maintaining the quality is crucial,” she said.
On average, 100 to 120 tests are done at the laboratory (histopathology and cytopathology) every day.
“If a test is done in a NABL accredited laboratory, there is no need to repeat them. It is a sign of accuracy,” the professor added.
Published - November 04, 2020 01:10 am IST
