LAHORE: The Institute of Public Health (IPH) in collaboration with the Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) has developed revised Minimum Service Delivery Standards (MSDSs) for pathological Laboratories and a pilot project is being started from Lahore.
The PHC will also introduce revised MSDSs in Clinical Laboratories of other major cities as well. For the assessment of implementation of MSDSs by the laboratories, a team of volunteer pathologists on behalf of the PHC will inspect the clinical labs and give their report to the healthcare commission.
This was stated by Dean IPH Prof Dr Zarfashan Tahir while addressing the training workshop organized at the IPH with the collaboration of Punjab Healthcare Commission on the revised Minimum Service Delivery Standards and assessment of the laboratories.
Punjab Healthcare Commission Director Dr Mushtaq Silharia said that a new procedure has been set up for checking and monitoring laboratories in the province, which will enable monitoring of diagnostic labs to be done effectively and to further improve their performance and quality.
In this regard, volunteer pathologists were invited in a piloting event to make them aware of the Health Care Commission's procedures, TORs and assessment procedure.
Dr Mushtaq informed the participants of the workshop about MSDSs of clinical laboratories and inspection tools of clinical labs through a detailed briefing. In addition to the laboratories of different public and private hospitals of Punjab, pathologists of private clinical laboratories, the staff of the institute and PHC advisor Dr Zahid Asghar, Director Mushtaq Silharia participated in the training workshop.
Dr Zahid Asghar said that there are more than 1800 clinical laboratories in the province but so far only 900 are registered with the PHC.
Dean Institute of Public Health Dr. Zarfashan Tahir said in his remarks that the IPH is collaborating with many international and local organizations to improve public health and prevent diseases.
A memorandum of cooperation has also been signed with the commission under which IPH will continue its cooperation with the PHC for the improvement of the health sector and development of the healthcare system.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023