WOODLANDS Hospital in Carmichael Street, Georgetown, received its third certificate of confirmation from Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) on Tuesday.
Administrator of the recipient institution, Mr. Roger Astwood said it has always been its objective to deliver a level of service that not only meets the needs but exceeds the expectation of society. Thus, this move, to acquire complete certification and accreditation from the GNBS, was of great importance.
According to Astwood, it was this desire, coupled with the fact that there was a national entity tasked with ensuring that the operations of the laboratory is effective, accurate, reliable and efficient, that amplified the hospital’s efforts in customer care.
He said: “In 2008, Woodlands first obtained its certification of compliance to the GYS:170 standards, which set the general requirements for the operation of the laboratory.
“Since then, the hospital has undergone several audits by the GNBS to ensure that it continues to subscribe to this national standard.”
Astwood said, prior to obtaining the 2008 certificate, the hospital had been tasked with, comprehensively, addressing all the requirements of the GYS:170 standards.
“But we had to ensure, first, that we went through the standards to see what the requirements were and develop procedures to address these requirements,” he explained.
He underscored that the procedures developed would cover the hospital’s activities from the point which the customer requests lab tests to the point at which the results are issued.
The lab has designed operating procedures to review and address customer complaints, so that the needs of customers can be met.
Qualified staff
“In order to produce accurate and reliable results, we need to recruit qualified staff,” Astwood pointed out.
He said those persons will undergo a series of training before they are deemed fit to perform within the lab.
Astwood said that these standards spell out the needs to provide training to everyone who, directly or indirectly, affect/influence the hospital’s quality system.
In compliance with this aspect, he said the hospital will conduct periodic training for all applicable members of staff, as well as to contractors, so that they can better understand their roles in the quality system.
The lab also benefits from the development of sound programmes that address equipment maintenance and calibrations. “We believe that is key to producing timely and accurate results, timely results can save life,” he remarked.
Astwood said the hospital has developed procedures to effectively track the performance of its contactors, as they believe if the contractor is incapable of delivering quality goods the ability to yield proper results is compromised.
Additionally, he said, quality systems are built upon many other elements that are constantly monitored for effectiveness and in the interest of the customer.
“It is with a great degree of satisfaction that I congratulate the hospital/lab on its 2012 recertification,” Astwood added.