PHILIPSBURG:--- The Honorable Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labour, Cornelius de Weever has pursued the development of a national laboratory policy.
The workshop that was held in May 2014 was coordinated by the department of Public Health and facilitated by Ms. Valerie Wilson, PAHO's consultant and senior laboratory analyst. She was honored to have conducted the workshop with representatives of the Sint Maarten Laboratory Services (SLS), the WIMA and the SMA, both general practitioners associations, the HIV/AIDS treating physician, the surveillance team of the Collective Prevention Services and the Inspectorate of Public Health. This initiative has marked a historical milestone for Sint Maarten as this is the first ever in its kind.
A framework on a national laboratory policy was developed which provides an overall direction for establishing operating and monitoring health laboratory services as well as an umbrella for more effective coordination of activities among health programs and institutions. In addition, a national laboratory policy is proof of Government's commitment to provide high quality laboratory services for the people of Sint Maarten.
The policy considers the following fundamental elements;
- Laboratory structure
- National standards for infrastructure test technology and equipment
- Human resources
- Quality management
- Quality standards
- Procurement and supplies management
- Laboratory information management
- Safety and waste management
- Laboratory financing
- Ethics and evidence based decision making
A key role of laboratory services is the identification of disease outbreaks such as Chikungunya, Dengue Legionella etc. in order to facilitate rapid and effective public health action. This is critical in protecting the community in general and the tourism market in particular.
The Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour has consistently allocated budget for testing and support to outbreak investigations.
The implementation of the national laboratory policy is scheduled for the 4th qtr. of 2014.
