Eureka Medical Laboratories Inc. (EML), now a household name, first opened its doors in March, 1995 to meet an increasing demand for multiple tests to detect, diagnose or monitor various health conditions.
The laboratory was initiated by Mr. Andrew Boyle who now serves as Director of EML. Mr. Boyle was at the time working at the Georgetown Public Hospital as a Microbiologist where he noticed a constant increasing in the number of persons seeking reliable tests in the health sector. As such, he was inspired to open his first laboratory at a small office in Waterloo Street, Georgetown with just one microscope and one analyser.
Four years later, with a growth in the number of clients, equipment and variety of testing, Mr. Boyle decided to get his business certified by the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS).
“We wanted to be certified as well because we needed to ensure that what we put out there is quality stuff; not only for self-satisfaction but for our clients and stakeholders as well. I would say also, it gives us a sense of pride to know that we’re certified,” Mr. Boyle noted.
The process which began in 1999 led to the laboratory achieving certification to the Guyana Standard (GYS 170:2009) – General requirements for the operation of a laboratory in March 2001.
Laboratories, which conform to the requirements of this national standard, are provided with formal recognition to attest that they have implemented an effective laboratory management system, which aids their provision of accurate and reliable results to customers.
While admitting that the journey was difficult as the employees of the facility were forced to put certain systems in place in a timely manner, the Director assured that it was rewarding.
Mr. Boyle encouraged others to get onboard with the GNBS Laboratory Certification Programme as he lauded the GNBS team for working with his company to ensure a smooth process to conformance.
“You’re better off being certified. It helps not only with the morale of team players, but also it helps you to have confidence in what you do” he stated.
Meanwhile, Quality Manager at the laboratory, Mr. Shawn Manbodh who is constantly working with other team members to keep the laboratories functioning to maximum capacity, noted that certification gives the assurance of accurate and reliable results.
Mr. Manbodh admitted that up keeping the requirements is challenging but it is the unmatched way to promote consistency.
“You’re able to deliver a level of consistency so not just quality today, off tomorrow; but consistent delivery of quality every day,” Mr. Manbodh explained. “With that, customers have gravitated to us; they have built confidence in us”, he added.
Certification to the National Standard was a steppingstone for Eureka Medical Laboratories towards becoming internationally accredited to the ISO 15189:2012 standard, which specifies requirements for quality and competence in medical laboratories.
In order to reopen Guyana’s International Airports in 2020 after a period of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, EML was contacted to set up testing sites at the ports of entry. The Lab’s accreditation to international standard played a big role in its selection, as accredited tests was a requirement of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Under its scope of certification, Eureka Medical Laboratories performs tests in the areas of Microbiology, Haematology, Biochemistry, among others.
