Health ministry calls for functionalization of local accreditation body

The Department of Laboratory Services under the Health Ministry has called for expediting the functionalisation of the Uganda National Accreditation Service (UGANAS) to reduce the cost of accreditation services for laboratories and ensure the quality of services.

Accreditation of testing laboratories, medical laboratories and calibration laboratories is a formal recognition earned by laboratories after proving they are qualified, competent, and comply with international standards. This means their reports –whether for disease diagnosis, paternity tests or water or food quality tests, are reliable.

Mr Patrick Ogwok, the Quality Assurance Director at the Uganda National Health Laboratory and Diagnostic Services (UNHLDS), said they have been relying on foreign accreditation bodies. These include the South African National Accreditation System (SANAS), the Kenya Accreditation Service (KENAS) and the College of American Pathologists (CAP).

“When the accreditation assessors come, we spend a lot of money because we have to accommodate them in five-star hotels, pay for their air tickets… that has been a challenge to us,” Mr Ogwok said.

“As we talk we have 73 laboratories accredited and we plan to have at least 284 laboratories accredited, so this is not sustainable to have accreditation bodies from outside. That is why we have been pushing to have UGANAS functional as soon as possible because they help us sustain that accreditation,” he added.

Mr Ogwok was speaking on Friday at the UGANAS offices in Nakawa where the Joint Clinical Research Centre was donating a double cabin pickup to support the operations of the UGANAS.

The Accreditation Services Act, 2021 was assented to by the President in May 2021, providing for the UGANAS. But the head of UGANAS, Mr Richard Musafire said they are yet to fully functionalise the body and start accrediting laboratories.  

The Deputy Executive Director of JCRC, Ms Drollah Nabukenya Ssebagala, said the donation of the vehicle is part of the support they have been giving UGANAS since 2021. She said the vehicle was bought through funding from the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“We are going to offer you the vehicle and we hope it will be able to help you run around to do the required work. We would not be happy to hear that the vehicle is being misused,” she said while handing over the keys.  

“The journey (operationalizing UGANAS) is aiming to strengthen capacity in the country to recognize quality lab services and minimize costs because we have the expertise and there is no reason why we should continue to import such kind of services,” she added. 

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