His Excellency the Vice Minister of Health for Planning and Development, Dr. Mohamed Hamzah Khushaim has stated that the contest of Saudi laboratories towards the adoption of quality programs stands out as an irrefutable evidence of their impressing development, which accords with the Ministry's unstinting support for its sectors, so that they can provide high-quality medical service.
Last Tuesday, in Riyadh, upon his inauguration of the annual meeting: “Meeting of External QA Coordinators, and QA Workers at Health Regions and Provinces”, Dr. Khushaim was quoted as saying, “The progress witnessed at the laboratories sector over the past years has given rise to the science-based, high-tech medical service provision.”
He added, “The success of a large number of laboratories at all QA programs recently applied to all the Kingdom's regions is a source of pleasure for everyone; which even doubles the responsibility upon our shoulders, in light of the currently abundant potentials and capabilities.”
“The Ministry is replete with minds capable of success,” he continued, “and that, in itself, is the base upon which the Ministry leans to attain its objectives and carry out its strategy, thereby reaching at the sought-after high quality medical services. Quality has no end, and we still have a long way to go. For any facility, there are four pillars to build upon: mastering work, attentiveness, worker's full comprehension of his work, and obtaining the skills necessary for carrying his work to perfection. Workers who have these pillars in their possession are the real impetus towards the achievement of quality.”
Dr. Khushaim further explained that “success of laboratories is part of the Ministry's success, since the potentials and supplies provided by the Ministry to laboratory workers place a colossal responsibility upon the shoulders of everybody working in this domain. We are committed to providing best-quality services for beneficiaries. That's why the Ministry has shown keen interest in intensifying the necessary training courses at all health specialties and domains, seeking to enable all those working at the medical sectors to reinforce their skills and heighten their levels. The upcoming five years will be witnessing, Allah willing, drastic changes in the Kingdom's health. That's to be accomplished when we maintain full-equipped hospitals, staffed with highly qualified, attentive and scientifically oriented workers.”
For his part, the Director-General of MOH Laboratories and Blood Banks, Dr. Ali al-Shemari, stated, “the Laboratories and Blood Banks General Department verifies of the quality of the services provided by MOH hospitals' laboratories by way of proposing external QA programs, through obtaining standardized samples at the laboratories. Medical laboratories have applied about eight programs, that have been continuously evolving with regard to the concept of QA culture, in addition to prompting competition amongst MOH laboratories' workers.”
Dr. al-Shemari mentioned that the beginning was in 2005, when six laboratories were established across the Kingdom. The number of laboratories today has reached 510 labs, covering all sections and external QA programs. “This year's programs include the QA programs of clinical biochemistry sections; they are three programs with 180 participants, in addition to QA programs for the hormonal indicators measurement sections, in which about 80 health workers participate,” said al-Shemari.
According to al-Shemari, the programs include also the QA program for blood clotting tests sections, in which 65 health workers participate, in addition to QA programs for hematology sections, in which 115 health workers participate. The number of participants in the QA program of the immunity sections has reached about 30 laboratories, whereas the number of laboratories participating in the premarital screening program is about 20 laboratories, in addition to about 30 laboratories for the cardiac indicators sections.
“There is a growing tendency towards external QA programs of standardized samples, that would further stress the principle of quality at our medical laboratories, given its effect on the result of each patient, with a view to attaining discernible improvement in laboratory results, thus achieving the MOH's vision and strategy,” said al-Shemari.
“All such positive results achieved by such programs since its outset have prompted the Laboratories and Blood Banks General Department towards developing an additional developmental work plan with the aim of applying the QA system to other sections of laboratories, seeking to cover all laboratories by the QA System,” he continued. “That's to be deemed as the starting point of recognition by international medical laboratories accreditation, such as the CAP accreditation, after being accredited by the Central Board of Accreditation for Health Institutions (CBAHI).”
As the meeting drew to a close, His Excellency the Vice Minister, Dr. Khushaim, honored the sponsors, and handed out certificates on all the laboratories that participated in the external QA programs in 2012. Five regional laboratories were granted the recognition and accreditation certificates by CBAHI; those are the regional laboratories in Madinah, Riyadh, Jeddah, Najran, and Taif.
He also honored the first three winners of the laboratories applying external sample QA programs; a competition in which 65 centers participated. The winners are: the laboratory of King Saud Medical City (Riyadh), Riyadh Regional Laboratory and Blood Bank, and the laboratory of King Fahad Hospital in al-Baha. Besides, he honored the ten laboratories winning in the hematology program contest, in which 115 centers participated, as well as the ten laboratories winning in the hormonal and oncology indicators program contest, in which 75 centers participated. That's to be added to honoring the ten winning in the clinical chemistry program contest, in which 180 laboratories participated. And, in conclusion, Dr. al-Shemari handed Dr. Khushaim a memorial shield for his patronage of the meeting.