KATHMANDU: The Teku-based National Public Health Laboratory has received ISO 15189:2012 certification, an internationally recognized categorization for operational excellence.
The Lab has been accredited by the ISO standards by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), a non-governmental international organization with a membership of 164 national standards bodies.
ISO’s representatives to Nepal Dr Sitaram Joshi handed over the certificate to director of the Lab Dr Runa Jha here today. With this, the number of labs receiving ISO certification in the country has reached five out of which four were run by private sector, it was told.
On the occasion, Minister for Health and Population Bhanubhakta Dhakal said that it was a matter of happiness that the state-run lab has been honoured with the ISO certification at a time when the country was fighting COVID-19 pandemic.
According to him, the lab earlier used to conduct around 100 of COVID-19 tests on a daily basis but lately it could put as much as 1000 nasal and throat swabs to test.
Stating that the public would have felt the welcome changes in the country’s health sector if the country was not dented by the COVID-19 crisis, the Minister appealed one and all not to make unnecessary interpretations and comments about the transfer of the senior staffers in his Ministry.
“The transfer of the senior staffers in the Ministry had been carried out as per due process,” he explained.
Similarly, receiving the certificate, Dr Jha credited the certification to the untiring efforts of the staffers. According to her, efforts were being made to make the Lab on par with the international standard for five years.
“Our certification has further added to our credibility,” she said, sharing that more than 100 evidences had been submitted to the Switzerland-based independent organization for accreditation.
Dr Jha shared that the Lab which has five decades of history would be soon shifted to a new building to run it in more organized manner.
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