The department of Microbiology at Dr. Horacio Oduber Hospital (LabHOH), received fantastic news from the Dutch Accreditation Committee ‘Nederlandse Raad voor Accreditatie’, in which they have been informed that since August 20, 2020 their laboratory (LABHOH) has been accredited by ISO 15189. This is a re-known worldwide accreditation that guarantees that all tests conducted at LABHOH in the department of Microbiology are being executed conform the highest requirements. It also guarantees that the quality of its organization is at its best.
What tests are conducted at the Microbiology department at LABHOH?
A microbiology lab conducts all tests that helps detects micro-organisms in the human body such as bacteria, viruses and fungus. Also blood tests, wounds, urine, Hepatitis and PCR COVID19 and many more are conducted.
What’s the difference between the accreditation received by LABHOH compared to other labs in Aruba that already are accredited?
Upon submission for accreditation the lab can choose to put in the ‘scope’ all tests that are executed at their facility or just a few. In this case the LABHOH opted to put all their tests in the ‘scope’ and therefore had to undergo a much more strict and longer process for accreditation. Such ‘scope’ gives the doctors and patients the insurance of the reliability of its results.
How can I as a patient/care giver know if a lab is accredited in full or partial?
It is mandatory for all accredited laboratories to have their ‘scope’ made public. This can be found on their website. In case a test is not included in the accredited ‘scope’ the lab has the obligation to mention this.
The department of Microbiology at LabHOH has many plans for the future and they will be executing more changes in order to elevate the quality of service. They will be opening a Biosafety Level 3 department, which is a lab with the highest standards of security. With this, Aruba will be able to make micro-organisms that have high levels of requirements and security levels. Aruba will then be the only island in the Caribbean with such an advanced facility. They will also introduce a completely new IT system for the lab which will go paperless and where results will be available in a timely manner.
Congratulations goes to the department of Microbiology at LabHOH that worked hard for this achievement and for demonstrating the professionalism and quality that they have to offer.
