By Dr. Dumizulu Tembo

We are thrilled to announce that MLW Lab has been recommended to continue its accreditation to the prestigious ISO 15189:2022! After a thorough on-site assessment by the SADCAS assessors on the 5th and 6th of August, our labs were evaluated across six critical scopes: parasitology, chemistry, haematology, microbiology, mycobacteriology, and serology.

Brigitte Denis, lab manager: “The auditors were impressed and happy that our QMS is still in place, and they were pleased to see the continual improvements that the lab undertakes”.

What’s New?

The latest ISO standard brings some exciting changes, especially in how we conduct internal audits. There’s a new focus on risk management and risk-based thinking, emphasizing identifying non-conformities, digging deep into root causes, so that corrective actions do not just simply address symptoms but resolve the root causes. Plus, patient requirements have taken centre stage, with increased emphasis on management system awareness, documentation competency, and quality.

A Job Well Done!

Our lab teams have shown incredible teamwork and competence, proving that our Quality Management System (QMS) is strong, effective, and future-ready. We’re thrilled that all tests covered in External Quality Assessment (EQA), and Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) have shown solid performance. Most importantly, our transition gap analysis and plan were verified, ensuring we’re on track with the new standard. This will allow us to smoothly transition without disrupting our work, while also maintaining our accreditation, improving quality, and continuing to build our team’s skills.

Where We’re Headed

As we transition to ISO 15189:2022, this assessment has helped us identify key areas for improvement in our technical requirements. We’ll be concentrating on critical aspects such as EQA, critical results reporting, and further improving inventory management of equipment and reagents. With our strategic plans in place, we’re confident that we’ll not only meet but exceed these standards, meeting our goal of achieving full transition by December 2024.

Thank you to our dedicated team for their exceptional work and to our partners for their continued support. Together, we are making strides towards excellence in laboratory services!