The Medical Research Institute (MRI) which conducts a large number of PCT Tests has already been accredited and all state and private laboratories conducting PCR Tests will be accredited soon with the assistance of the WHO.
Health Services Director General Dr. Anil Jasinghe said all state owned laboratories will be accredited and the four private laboratories will be told to obtain accreditation, on their own. Thereafter, all PCR Tests in Sri Lanka will be carried out only through accredited laboratories, Health Services Director General Dr. Anil Jasinghe said.
Dr. Jasinghe said some of the 20 state laboratories doing PCR Tests now will be accredited through the Hong Kong Laboratory where prominent virologist Prof. Malik Peiris is attached and the rest of the state laboratories will be accredited through a UK system.
Dr. Jasinghe stated that this will be done in order to operate laboratories for a long time in future since the COVID-19 pandemic will exist in the world for a long time.
"At the moment state health authorities constantly monitor all laboratories which conduct PCR Tests. After accreditation, the laboratories can function independently," he said.
Accreditation is the process in which certification of competency, authority or credibility is presented. Accreditation is the act of granting credit or recognition, to an institution that maintains suitable standards. Accreditation is necessary for any institution to prove that they meet a general standard of quality.