CEBU CITY, Cebu — In a move to fast-track the development of Cebu’s medical tourism industry, the Department of Trade and Industry in Central Visayas ( DTI 7) is pushing for medical laboratories here to secure accreditation and improve the quality and credibility of local health care services.

“If we want to effectively push Cebu as the health and wellness capital of Asia, we have to start somewhere, and that should very well begin with urging clinical laboratories to get accredited with the Department (DTI),” said Asteria Caberte, DTI 7 Director.

Caberte said the DTI’s Philippine Accreditation Office (PAO) already has an accreditation scheme for medical laboratories which would assess the quality of services they offer.

Earlier, Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo said an erroneous interpretation of results and tests by medical laboratories could lead to inappropriate treatment, prolonged illness or even death.

“Medical laboratory accreditation would give patients confidence in the medical institution administering laboratory tests as its technical competence complies with ISO 15189:2007, the international standard used for medical laboratory accreditation.

Moreover, patients are assured that the personnel of accredited medical laboratories are competent and well trained to perform and interpret tests, provide reliable diagnosis, and conduct appropriate treatment,” the DTI Secretary said.

Caberte also pointed out that the accuracy of medical test results is crucial since on this is based a medical practitioner’s diagnosis.

The PAO accreditation seal guides patients in choosing a competent and reliable medical laboratory providing excellent services worth their time and money, and more importantly, ensuring against risks to life.

Caberte said as demand for reliable and cost-efficient medical and health care services grows in the country, laboratory accreditation would enhance Cebu’s positioning as a destination for medical tourists, competing against such countries like

Thailand, Singapore and India where medical tourism as an industry have long well been established.

ISO 15189:2007 is the standard used by PAO to accredit medical laboratories on the latter’s technical capacity.

It specifies particular requirements for quality and competence of medical laboratories, which relies on several such factors as qualifications, training and experience of personnel; calibrated and maintained equipment; adequate quality assurance procedures; proper sampling practices; appropriate testing procedures; traceability of measurements to national standards; accurate recording and reporting procedures; and suitable testing facilities.