The Emirates International Accreditation Centre, EIAC, recently granted Unilabs Laboratories, the leading Swiss diagnostic service provider, the ISO-15189 accreditation - one of the most important international accreditations in the medical lab field - for Covid-19 PCR testing in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Unilabs is the UAE’s first private health institution that obtains this international recognition. The step would help enhance the UAE’s vigorous efforts to counter Covid-19 pandemic and maintain people’s health and safety.

To get accredited, Unilabs has successfully passed all the assessment processes conducted by the EIAC in accordance with competence standards and protocols of international medical labs. This accreditation is a testament to the competence and quality of Unilabs’s laboratories which are committed to utilizing its technical resources and its global expertise in supporting the high production capacity of the country’s lab system according to the highest global standards and in cooperation with the concerned health authorities.

Amina Ahmed Mohammed, CEO of EIAC, hailed the strenuous efforts exerted by Unilabs teams and their eagerness to get this accreditation in the UAE, thanks to their full compliance with the required standards.

"The accreditation of Covid-19 PCR testing, based on ISO-15189 medical labs, helps strengthen the UAE’s global position at all levels, especially in the quality of healthcare services. It also makes Unilabs’s test results more recognizable and more reliable both locally and globally, especially that EIAC is an internationally recognized center by the ILAC in medical labs field,"

she added.

Dr. Janan Al Zahid, Medical Director, Unilabs, said:

"The ISO-15189 accreditation involves an assessment of the medical laboratory that includes an examination of personnel qualifications and competence, safety procedures, equipment, reagents and supplies, quality assurance, and analytical, pre-analytical, and post-analytical factors. Our purpose is to provide added value to the UAE’s efforts, especially in the current circumstances."

"And as part of our adherence to Covid-19 related safety instructions, we have developed a special mechanism for completing the assessment requirements using advanced technology means, in accordance with the international standards of medical labs,"

Al Zahid pointed out.

Dr. Hiba Khanafer, Quality Manager, Unilabs, said:

"This achievement reflects and the competence and quality of our labs' network in producing accurate and reliable results in a timely manner. It also enhances the patient’s confidence in our services."

News Source: http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302864920