Recognising the need for an outpatient facility in the city, Dr. Chetram Budhu and his wife Mrs. Ratna Budhu in June 2012 established the Quest Medical Centre. Located at Laluni Street, Queenstown, Georgetown, this medical facility initially started by offering basic clinical tests to clients, including Ultrasounds, X-rays, Heart tests and other services.
Just one year later in 2013, the proprietors decided to take a bold step to pursue Certification of their Laboratory to the National Standard in order to increase their efficiency and boost recognition. “At the time, we reckoned that there must be a Standard or something that could guide us along the way, in order to meet our goals and objectives” stated Mrs. Budhu who is the General Manager.
Quest Medical Centre Laboratory then began the process towards getting certified by the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) to the requirements of the National Standard ‘General requirements for the operations of a laboratory’ (GYS 170:2009). To show that it was serious about this step, the Medical Centre also hired Mrs. Kulwantie Deochand- Mohabir, a qualified Technologist who now functions as the Quality Manager.
The GNBS completed the first audit of the Laboratory in October of 2013 and the following month, Quest Medical Centre was certified.
According to Mrs. Budhu, this achievement led to a significant boost in customers since the staff of the facility are more confident in the way in which they conduct their tests, resulting in more accurate outcomes for patients. “Even our staff trusted our results; they knew what they were doing.” Mrs. Budhu further stated that “Meeting the Standard also promoted job satisfaction for the staff given that they’re working for an entity that is certified; one that is following Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and have established goals and objectives.”
Meanwhile, the General Manager lauded the work put in by the Certification Services Department of the GNBS to ensure that her Laboratory continues to comply with the requirements of the Standard. According to her, “ when patients see GNBS, when they see that an entity is qualified to do what they are doing, they rely more on the results of Laboratories certified by this National Standards Body.”
Laboratory certifications are valid for two years. On November 12, 2021, the Quest Medical Centre Laboratory was recertified for the fourth time. They also received a plaque from the GNBS for maintaining the requirements of the National Standard.
Notably, over the years, Quest Medical Centre has walked away with many awards from the Biannual National Quality Awards (NQA) hosted by the GNBS, to honour businesses and organisations which are implementing Standards in the delivery of their products and services. Just recently in October, the company was awarded at the 2021 NQA for Continuous Improvement.
The Quality Manager, Mrs. Deochand- Mohabir explained that the laboratory has expanded its scope to conduct more testing since its establishment in 2013 and these are gradually being added to the scope of certification. Currently, the medical facility is certified to conduct testing in the areas of Biochemistry, Haematology, Serology, Urinalysis, Microbiology, Hormones & Tumours Markers, and one new addition this year which is testing for the COVID-19 Antigen.
Asked whether it was difficult to maintain the certification, Mrs. Mohabir noted that support is important from management and staff in order to succeed.
“In order to maintain or get certified, you have to write exactly what you are doing and do what you have written there. It’s a standard and you follow the standard and practice what you preach,” she said, adding that being the Manager of a certified laboratory means a lot.
Finally, Mrs. Mohabir urged other laboratories to pursue certification to ensure there is quality, accuracy and consistency in their operations. This she said boosts customer confidence and guarantees sustainability.
To access the GNBS Certification services, persons can contact 219-0064-66 or message us on Whatsapp at 692-4697 (GNBS).
