News / Local
Cimas Medical Laboratory passes accreditation surveillance assessment
10 May 2016 at 11:18hrs | Views
Cimas Medical Laboratory in Harare has once again passed its ISO 15189 accreditation surveillance assessment. The accreditation body, Southern African Development Community Accreditation Services (SADCAS), carried out the assessment.
In 2014 the laboratory became the first purely clinical medical laboratory in Zimbabwe to attain ISO 15189 Accreditation, the international accreditation standard for medical laboratories.
SADCAS, which provides accreditation services to countries in the SADC region, carries out periodic assessments to ensure that an accredited laboratory continues to maintain the systems that enabled it to obtain ISO 15189accreditation.
ISO 15189 is based on ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO 9001 but takes into consideration the specific medical laboratories requirements for quality and competence and the importance of the medical laboratories to patients' care.
"This is the second time that the laboratory has been assessed and passed. We are happy that we are maintaining the quality that is expected of us," Cimas Medical Services Division managing director Tsitsi Moyo said.
Accreditation is granted only to service providers that have demonstrated that they fully meet the requirements of the relevant international standards. Periodic assessments to ensure those requirements are still being met are needed to maintain the accreditation.
"We pride ourselves on the high quality of the clinical laboratory services we provide. While these periodic assessments are necessary to maintain our accreditation, what is most important to us is maintaining the quality of the services we provide and providing accurate results that help in managing patients' conditions.
"We are committed to maintaining these high standards whether or not there is an assessment.
"All the same accreditation is an assurance of quality. It means the results we are giving here are of an international standard and are accepted internationally," Mrs Moyo said.
Cimas Medical Laboratories accountfor more than 60 percent of all pathology tests done in Zimbabwe.
The laboratory tests carried out on the samples and specimens of patients assist doctors and clinicians in their diagnosis and management of diseases.
Cimas Medical Laboratories has a network of branches and collection points throughout the country. Apart from the Harare laboratory there is another major laboratory in Bulawayo and branch laboratories in Mutare, Gweru and Kwekwe.
The Harare laboratory offers a wide test profile of routine and specialised tests. It conducts tests throughout the day and night. Tests are processed by experienced scientists who are supported by a haematology specialist pathologist and a histo-pathologist.
Cimas Medical Laboratory's accreditation and the subsequent accreditation surveillance assessmentsmeans that tests carried out at the laboratory continue to be recognised and accepted regionally and internationally.
In 2014 the laboratory became the first purely clinical medical laboratory in Zimbabwe to attain ISO 15189 Accreditation, the international accreditation standard for medical laboratories.
SADCAS, which provides accreditation services to countries in the SADC region, carries out periodic assessments to ensure that an accredited laboratory continues to maintain the systems that enabled it to obtain ISO 15189accreditation.
ISO 15189 is based on ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO 9001 but takes into consideration the specific medical laboratories requirements for quality and competence and the importance of the medical laboratories to patients' care.
"This is the second time that the laboratory has been assessed and passed. We are happy that we are maintaining the quality that is expected of us," Cimas Medical Services Division managing director Tsitsi Moyo said.
Accreditation is granted only to service providers that have demonstrated that they fully meet the requirements of the relevant international standards. Periodic assessments to ensure those requirements are still being met are needed to maintain the accreditation.
"We are committed to maintaining these high standards whether or not there is an assessment.
"All the same accreditation is an assurance of quality. It means the results we are giving here are of an international standard and are accepted internationally," Mrs Moyo said.
Cimas Medical Laboratories accountfor more than 60 percent of all pathology tests done in Zimbabwe.
The laboratory tests carried out on the samples and specimens of patients assist doctors and clinicians in their diagnosis and management of diseases.
Cimas Medical Laboratories has a network of branches and collection points throughout the country. Apart from the Harare laboratory there is another major laboratory in Bulawayo and branch laboratories in Mutare, Gweru and Kwekwe.
The Harare laboratory offers a wide test profile of routine and specialised tests. It conducts tests throughout the day and night. Tests are processed by experienced scientists who are supported by a haematology specialist pathologist and a histo-pathologist.
Cimas Medical Laboratory's accreditation and the subsequent accreditation surveillance assessmentsmeans that tests carried out at the laboratory continue to be recognised and accepted regionally and internationally.
Source - Agencies
