By Kiana WilburgOne of Guyana’s finest health institutions—Eureka Medical Laboratories Inc.—received its certificate of international accreditation from the Jamaica National Agency for Accreditation (JANAAC) on Saturday last.(From left) CEO of Eureka Medical Laboratory, Andrew Boyle receives the Certificate of International Accreditation from JANAAC CEO , Sharonmae Shirley and Public Health Minister, Dr. George NortonThe occasion was celebrated in style and elegance at the Marriott Hotel, as well-wishers, invited guests and staff of Eureka Medical Laboratories (EML) also gathered to celebrate the 21st anniversary of the entity.EML Quality Manager Shawn Manbodh was thankful to his Creator for being given the health, strength, wisdom and knowledge to lead Eureka Labs towards being an internationally accredited lab. He intimated that Eureka’s journey towards accreditation started about five years ago with management and staff sharing a passion to give every customer matchless service.A proud Manbodh said, “Eureka’s management stood committed to the process from day one, in ensuring that all staffers were equipped with the tools necessary.”He said that the EML staff “went the extra mile over the years to achieve this long term goal of the company, whether it was the Quality Team developing procedures, our Laboratory staff analyzing patient samples; the biomedical technicians servicing their machines or the lab aides, making sure that the facility is always immaculate”.The Quality Manager said that the commitment by the Eureka family to deliver quality service and accurate results has led to stronger links being made with the national certification body of Guyana which has been certifying its Laboratory since 2001. He also expressed heartfelt thanks to the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS), especially Ms Candelle Walcott- Bostwick , Guyana’s National Accreditation focal point representative,Cheap Jerseys For Sale, for being the source of guidance throughout the entire process.A section of the audience.Manbodh expressed, “Accreditation for us at Eureka means taking health care to an international level so that we can better serve you our customers.”This very sentiment was one shared by CEO of the Eureka Medical Laboratory, Andrew Boyle.Boyle recalled in detail what an exciting moment it was when he first got the good news by his Quality Manager on February 12, last.“Shawn Manbodh, my quality control manager, was the breathless and jubilant bearer of the fabulous news. After several attempts of explaining the good news, he was finally able to utter clearly, that he had just forwarded me an email outlining the massive achievement. Eureka Medical Laboratories Inc was now internationally accredited to the 15189 ISO standards. This day I was ecstatic. Team Eureka had delivered,” expressed the microbiologist.He continued,Wholesale Jerseys China, “He (Shawn) and his team had really worked diligently over many years and it was not easy work. We were expecting this since before Christmas, 2015, but had to wait on official confirmation from the Jamaican National Agency for Accreditation”.The father of three explained that EML has been locally certified repeatedly over several years, in fact, on more than eight occasions by the GNBS.Boyle recalled that after months of careful planning, he and his team initiated discussions with JANAAC during the early months of 2015. He even met with the JANAAC CEO, Ms Sharonmae Shirley, “who was vague and, like a politician, said that our team seemed dedicated and diligent, so we should be okay.”He noted that the road to international accreditation was “costly, rough and long” but he is happy to know that they can now reap the benefits of their hard work.Shirley agreed that it was indeed a moment for Boyle to be proud of.In her presentation, Shirley sought to emphasize the importance of international accreditation. She noted that accreditation comes from the word “accredere” meaning “to give confidence”. Simply put, she said, it is the testimony by a recognized entity, like JANAAC, that a body is competent and has the requisite staff, methods and equipment to consistently meet the requirements of an international standard.Shirley explained that JANAAC was incorporated in 2007 as the National Accreditation Body of Jamaica, offering services to Jamaica and the entire Caribbean Region. She revealed that JANAAC is the only internationally recognized accreditation body in the English-speaking Caribbean.She asserted that JANAAC is a full member of the Inter-American Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC).The JANAAC CEO stated that her company has signed multilateral arrangements with the IAAC and Mutual Recognition Arrangements (MRA) with the ILAC. She said that this allows for the international acceptance of the results from JANAAC-accredited laboratories to the ISO/IEC 17025 standard for testing labs and the ISO15189 standard for medical labs.The JANAAC CEO expressed that the Multilateral Recognition Arrangements (MLA) and MRA assure the equivalence of testing competency. She said that with the use of the international standards as the benchmark, the goal is not only of harmonization, but also of reducing the cost penalty of needless test duplication, because of the use of internationally accepted testing and measurement practices.Shirley said that data generated by an accredited laboratory is thus readily accepted in overseas markets. She said that this is important for trade as well as tourism. She said that the medical tourism industry is a multi-billion dollar industry and Eureka has now enhanced Guyana’s reach into this lucrative market.The JANAAC CEO expressed, “We are pleased to celebrate with the EML,China NFL Jerseys, the first medical lab outside of Jamaica accredited by JANAAC. The EML was inducted into the ‘accreditation hall of fame’, and was accredited on February 4,Wholesale Authentic Jerseys, 2016,Cheap Jerseys China, though it will receive its certificate today (Saturday last).”She continued, “Their accreditation certificate proves that not only JANAAC,Jerseys Wholesale, but by extension the international accreditation community – signatories to the ILAC-MRA – attest that this laboratory and all of our accredited labs are competent to perform the specific tests listed in their scope in accordance with the requirements of the ISO/IEC 17025 international standard.”Shirley noted that the accreditation process was a thorough and rigorous one, but at the end of the process, JANAAC is fully satisfied with the competence of the EML lab.Shirley congratulated the EML team and urged them to continue to improve their systems and processes. She is confident that surveillance visits will only show the entity’s dedication in providing quality service to all.
