Zimpapers Logo

Dr Parirenyatwa

David Shumba Herald reporter
CIMAS Medical Laboratories have attained International Standards Organisation (ISO) 15189 quality and competence management system requirements for medical laboratories certification.The ISO 15189 is an international standard, which defines the requirements for the operation of medical laboratories.

It specifies that medical laboratories should provide quality medical services, improved customer care, quality interpretation of test results and training of health care staff among others.

Speaking at the handover of the certification certificate in Harare on Friday, Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr David Parirenyatwa, said ISO certification gave an assurance to his ministry of quality services provided by Cimas.

“ISO 15189 accreditation by medical laboratories in Zimbabwe will give confidence to clinicians for accurate diagnosis and management of diseases for the practice of evidence-based medicine that can be benchmarked to international standards and to our people that they are receiving the best possible service

“My ministry is satisfied that as a country although we experienced a mass exodus of skills in recent years, we still have the skills and expertise to make inroads into new territories in medical care,” Dr Parirenyatwa said.

Dr Parirenyatwa said his ministry wanted to see all medical laboratories being centres of excellence that have quality service provision.

“What Cimas medical laboratories have shown is the direction we should be going. It provided a direction that all medical laboratories should follow,” Dr Parirenyatwa said.

He said the accreditation status for medical laboratories also assured other institutions such as, research and the international community that test results were credible, hence they could partner with local laboratories in making further advances in medicine.

Speaking at the same occasion, chief executive officer of Southern African Development Community Accreditation Services (SADCAS) Mrs Maureen Mutasa, said Cimas had met international standards requirements for medical laboratories.

“Cimas has met international standards for medical laboratories. We will do periodic surveillance assessments to see if they are maintaining stipulated requirements,” she said.

She said her organisation would withdraw the accreditation if medical laboratories did not maintain the required international standards.

Cimas is the first accredited Pathology Testing Medical Laboratory in Zimbabwe and sixth in the region after four in Tanzania and one in Swaziland.