Review of national laboratory policy, legislation and regulations – Saint Lucia News From The Voice

THE Department of Health, Wellbeing and Aged Affairs held a two-day stakeholder consultation this week to review national laboratory policy, legislation and regulation.

The consultation was organized in collaboration with the Caribbean Med Labs Foundation, with support from the OECS (World Bank) Regional Health Project.

More than fifty key laboratory stakeholders gathered at the Coco Palm Hotel on Thursday October 19 to review national laboratory policy, legislation and regulation. Although the National Laboratory Policy was approved in 2019, the Ministry of Health found it necessary to collect feedback from different stakeholders before implementing the policy.

The policy, legislation and regulation of the Saint Lucia National Laboratories provide a model for the development of a strong, reliable, quality assured and sustainable national medical and public health laboratory service.

Acting Head of Quality Assurance at the Ministry of Health, Ms. Tecla Jn. Baptiste said the consultative process is essential to strengthen leadership and governance structures to ensure the highest standards of care for citizens.

It demonstrates our commitment to improving the quality, safety and efficiency of health care delivery, as outlined in the National Health Care Policy. It also means quality, that is to say compliance with standards. Quality is of paramount importance in a medical laboratory and must be emphasized. Laboratories that practice quality assurance principles generate reliable, relevant, and cost-effective results, Jn. said Baptiste, emphasizing that the laboratory is an essential first step in managing a patient/client to ensure better clinical outcomes for patients.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Sharon-Belmar George said there was a need to establish national health standards in every service to ensure objective monitoring of performance.

An honest assessment of our healthcare system reveals some critical gaps that require urgent attention. Healthcare workers in the categories of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other allied health professionals are regulated and licensed. However, with the exception of pharmacists, the establishments in which they operate are neither regulated nor licensed. Thus, to ensure an acceptable level of health care on the island, linked to safety, best practices, efficiency and client-centered care, it is often necessary to develop a policy to govern all our services, including our medical practices, diagnostic centers, paramedical services. practices and our laboratories. These standards will be applied not only in the public but also private sectors, the CMO said.

The Director of the Caribbean Med Labs Foundation, Ms. Valerie Wilson, provided an overview of the Strengthening Regulatory Quality Initiative:

Several outcomes are expected from the consultation, including: the ability of participants to effectively explain the intent of the medical laboratory policy, its laws and regulations. They should also be able to describe the responsibilities for accreditation of medical laboratories in Saint Lucia.