…first lab in entire South America to have A2LA accreditation

DR. BALWANT Singh Hospital Inc. on Friday announced at a press conference that it is the only health facility to have a laboratory that has been accredited with ISO 15189 through the American Association of Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA).

Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Madhu Pandey-Singh, told reporters that the laboratory at Dr. Balwant Singh Hospital has achieved a milestone that many others were still trying to attain.

She explained that A2LA was a non-profit public service internationally recognised accreditation body in the United States that offers laboratory-related accreditation services.

Dr. Singh stated that there were a couple of other stand-alone or industrial labs that were accredited to ISO, through a Caribbean regional body.

She added that their institution was the first to achieve this through an international, U.S.-based organisation, the A2LA.

Dr. Singh told the press briefing that they were the first lab in the entire South American continent to have achieved A2LA accreditation and they also have the widest scope of accredited tests. They had a total of 25 tests that were accredited as well.

She highlighted that without the local certifying body, the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS), it was impossible to attain such status, since they would have had to be accredited locally before gaining internal accreditation.

Director of the GNBS, Candelle Walcott-Bostwick, said she was pleased that the health facility had maintained its certification and their clinical lab was accredited for validity and was up to par with international standards.

She explained that visitors could be tested at Dr. Balwant Singh Hospital and take the results back to their country, where it will be accepted by doctors there.

With this achievement for the institution, Walcott-Bostwick said it has indicated the development of health care in Guyana and encouraged others to emulate the hospital to provide quality services.

Administrator, Ivorine De Franca, said they strive to provide the highest quality services at the lowest cost and would continue to improve their services.