Medical testing has been added to the scope of accreditation by the HK Laboratory Accreditation Scheme. Starting today, medical laboratories in Hong Kong can now apply for official recognition of their technical competence in this area.

The scheme is operated by the HK Accreditation Service under the Innovation & Technology Commission. It is voluntary, open to Hong Kong laboratories that perform objective testing and calibration within the scheme's scope and meet its criteria of competence.

HK labs can demonstrate their competence

The commission said there is an increasing need for medical laboratories to demonstrate that they are up to international standards and accreditation is one way of meeting this need.

The new accreditation programme on medical testing provides an opportunity for medical laboratories to demonstrate their competence through a third party, it said.

The new programme is open to local laboratories of both the public and private sectors from today. It is administered by the HK Accreditation Service with technical support provided by the HK College of Pathologists.

Accreditation criteria are based on the international standard ISO 15189:2003 'Medical laboratories - Particular requirements for quality and competence'.

Labs can apply for accreditation under 5 disciplines

Laboratories can apply for accreditation under five different pathology disciplines, namely Anatomical Pathology, Chemical Pathology, Clinical Microbiology & Infection, Haematology, and Immunology.

Laboratories seeking accreditation will undergo rigorous onsite assessment by experts in the medical testing field and they must participate in proficiency testing programmes and achieve satisfactory results.

The HK Laboratory Accreditation Scheme was launched in 1985 and has 117 laboratories accredited for a wide range of testing fields.

Laboratories accredited by the scheme are recognised as technically competent in their field by accreditation bodies in 35 economies worldwide.

For details of the new accreditation programme, click here or call 2829 4837.