Guyanese can now benefit from early diagnosis from diseases like cancer and other ailments, as the first pathology laboratory in the country has received ISO certification for quality and safety.
The Woodlands Limited Pathology Laboratory has attained ISO 15189 Plus Accreditation, by-Accreditation Canada. The certification means that the laboratory is in compliance with international standards in its quality and safety management systems (ISO 15189 and ISO 15190).
Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony, presented the certificate on behalf of Accreditation Canada, during a brief ceremony at the hospital, Wednesday evening.
The minister said accreditation is significant for patients who now have a service that is externally validated.
“One of the things that we want to do is to make sure that we improve the quality of health care in Guyana and the only way we can do that is by having, not just local validation, but external validation and accreditation and I think what you have been able to achieve here shows what is possible,” Dr Anthony said as he addressed the gathering at the presentation ceremony.
He said breast and cervical are two main cancers in Guyana. He said early detection for these diseases has been a challenge as they were mostly based on clinical findings, rather than pathology.
“We need to capture these things earlier and to make sure that we do more on the preventative side, in the earlier stages, if we can get it earlier, we can actually prevent many of these diseases and the complication of these diseases.
With this lab, I think it’s going to help to change that dynamic, very significant and will be game changer in Guyana setting a standard,” Dr Anthony said.
He noted that a lot of investment is made in laboratories in the private sector.
“I think this is going to be useful, because it would be a useful conversation for the labs in the public sector to have with them and work on a programme on how we can get our public sector labs certified and accredited and I think that would be very important,” Dr Anthony said.
He said there can be partnerships with the private sector to provide the services to the Guyanese people.
“We want to work together because ultimately we want to have these services, in the country, so once we have services in the country, whether is public or private sector, it benefits people,” Dr. Anthony said.
The Woodlands Pathology Laboratory established in 2016, was previously given GY 170 Certification.
The services provided include diagnostic results for cancer and HPV.