In a bid to provide quality and reliable healthcare services to the people, the Orissa health and family welfare department has decided to go for accreditation of the medical laboratories in the government medical colleges and hospitals.
At first, the state health and family welfare department plans to get the laboratories accredited in the three government medical colleges. Plans are also afoot to secure accreditation for the testing laboratories in the Capital Hospital in the city and the different district headquarter hospitals across the state.
Anu Garg, secretary, health and family department, Orissa government said, “Accreditation of the medical laboratories in Orissa is the critical need of the hour. We have decided to go for accreditation of the laboratories in the government medical colleges, Capital Hospital and also the district headquarter hospitals in the state.”
“The decision to go for accreditation of these government medical laboratories would be implemented soon. Medical laboratories in the corporate hospitals and other standalone laboratories should take the cue and go for accreditation”, she added.
Garg pointed out that the process of going for accreditation would require funds and suitable training of manpower and the state health department was committed to meet this requirement. She was speaking a seminar on Quality Assurance with Special Focus on Accreditation Guidelines and Basic Quality Control Practices for Medical Laboratories organised here by the Quality Council of India (QCI).
Speaking on the occasion, PK Das, director, medical education and training (Orissa) said, “There are 1,000-odd registered medical laboratories in Orissa but none of them is accredited. Our testing laboratories need to be accredited so that they are at par with the other accredited medical laboratories in the country.” T Venkatesh, principal advisor, QCI said, “We need to fine-tune healthcare systems so that the common people are benefited and accreditation would help us to achieve this objective. Every government hospital in Orissa needs to get accredited within five years.”
