VIJAYAWADA: After the government hospitals, it is the turn of the laboratories to get recognised by National Accreditation Board for Laboratories (NABL).
As of now, a few services of the laboratories of Andhra Medical College (AMC) Visakhapatnam and Guntur GGH have got NABL accreditation.
Soon the laboratories under the Directorate of Medical Education (DME) are going to get NABL accreditation and in this regard the officials of DME are preparing the detailed report, including expenditures involved and procedures to be followed.
In June 2018, all 15 government teaching hospitals in the state applied for the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals (NABH) accreditation in a phased manner at an estimated cost of Rs 167 crore.
Of the 15 hospitals, 11 are general hospitals and four are specialty hospitals.
So far, eight hospitals have completed the final assessment and other seven hospitals have completed the pre-assessment.
Officials of the Health department have proposed that all the laboratories of the government teaching hospitals get NABL accreditation. Unlike in cases of hospitals, for laboratories the accreditation will be given to the equipment.
Recently, an expert committee headed by Dr K Sujatha Rao recommended that the State government make all laboratories in teaching hospitals go for NABL accreditation.
The committee further stated the expenditure that lay in procuring NABL accreditation involved the equipment, staff, maintaining records and the inspection charges. In order to get the accreditation, the instrument calibration has to take place every year.