EASTERN REGIONAL HOSPITAL LABORATORY ACCREDITED WITH ISO 15189:2012 CERTIFICATE

The Eastern Regional Hospital Laboratory has been presented with an accreditation Certificate, ISO 15189:2012 certificate by United States Pharmacopeia (USP), the first Ghana Health Service Laboratory to clinch this international accreditation from the National Public Health and Reference Laboratory (NPHRL).
The certificate, which is internationally recognized and respected, ISO 15189 Certification is a quality assurance measure that is specific to the Medical Laboratory Industry, designed to ensure that Medical Laboratories operate in a standardized and consistent manner, with adherence to quality management principles.

In his address, the Honourable Eastern Regional Minister, Mr. Seth Kwame Acheampong commended the management of the hospital for its successes and encouraged them to continue working to raise the image of the institution and to complement the government’s efforts of ensuring quality healthcare for all.
He invited all other key stakeholders in the health sector to pull resources together and work hard to ensure that every Ghanaian gets the best healthcare services which would put the country on the path towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal three (SDG -3), thus “good health and well-being”.
Hon. Acheampong reaffirmed the government’s commitment to investing in the healthcare sector by providing infrastructure and equipping health professionals with the requisite expertise to improve healthcare delivery, adding that Agenda 111 was moving on smoothly.

He, consequently, gave assurance that the Regional Co-ordinating Council would extend the necessary support to the Regional Hospital to maintain the standards required by the accreditation.
The Medical Director for the Eastern Regional Hospital Dr. Akoto Ampaw thanked the USP for introducing ISO 15189 to the facility which he said would contribute immensely to quality healthcare delivery not only in the region but the world at large.
He emphasized the need to have other districts and regional hospitals join ISO 1518 to ensure continuous improvement in healthcare delivery in the country.
Dr. Barnabas Kwame Yeboah, a representative from the Ministry of Health also commended the Management and the staff of the hospital, especially the Laboratory department for their hard work and dedication which earned them the enviable certification as one of the most credible laboratories in the country.
He also commended the united Nations pharmacopeia for their support, adding that the Ministry of Health recognizes the ISO 15189 certification as a major achievement in the healthcare system.
Emphasising the importance of the laboratory, Dr. Yeboah indicated that the confirmation of a Physician’s diagnosis is depended largely on credible laboratory test results.
He, therefore, tasked the management to maintain and continue to improve the standard set, assuming that the Ministry would offer all necessary support to the hospital to provide quality health care for the citizens.
The benefits of this accreditation included International recognition for the Laboratory; referral points for other laboratories, the attraction of both internal and external clients due to increased trust and confidence in the results; and Improvement in the capacity of the Laboratory to provide quality programmes and quality management services.