The Department of Trade and Industry-Philippine Accreditation Bureau (PAB) held back-to-back online briefing session on the Importance of Accreditation in the Delivery of Health and Social Care and the Requirements of ISO 15189, PAB’s Policy and Procedures, Supplementary Requirements and Guidance Documents via Zoom Meeting on July 15-16, 2020. One hundred four (104) participants attended the first day while one hundred thirty-four (134) participants attended the second day coming from medical laboratories, hospitals, government agencies, PAB personnel and other stakeholders.
The first webinar focused on how accreditation helps to achieve health and social care excellence. Speakers from DTI-PAB’s and from Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) joined the panel of discussants to provide the benefits and value of accreditation for medical laboratory and encourage these laboratories to get accredited by PAB. An overview of the ISO 15189 – the international standard that specifies the requirements for quality and competence in medical laboratories served as a sneak peek for medical laboratories before the discussion of the detailed requirements of the standard.
The second webinar gave participants the detailed requirements of the ISO 15189:2012 presented by PAB’s Technical Assessor, Engr. Aldwin B. Tagapan. The participants were also introduced to PAB’s Policy and Procedures, Supplementary Requirements and Guidance Documents. Other professionals shared their knowledge in their own field of expertise which made the event informative.
Health and social care is one of the vital sectors affected by the pandemic. Ensuring the quality and reliability of health services including laboratory services plays a significant role in the safety and effectiveness of products and services. Accreditation to ISO 15189 helps laboratory personnel in their goal for continual improvement.
By virtue of Executive Order 802, DTI-PAB is the national accreditation body of the Philippines mandated to accredit inspection bodies, certification bodies, testing and calibration laboratories, and other bodies offering conformity assessment services. It also promotes accreditation through conduct of seminars and training on accreditation and the schemes currently offered. As of 31 December 2019, DTI-PAB has accredited a total of 249 conformity assessment bodies (CABS) that include 170 testing laboratories, 46 calibration laboratories, 7 medical laboratories, 8 inspection bodies and 18 certification bodies.
For more information on accreditation and PAB services, please contact 0917-802-0047 or e-mail at pab@dti.gov.ph. You may also visit our website at www.dti.gov.ph/pab.
Release Date: 25 July 2020