Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has again been recognised on the international stage with the re-accreditation of its extensive laboratory network by the College of American Pathologists (CAP). 

The Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology (DLMP) at HMC, which performs over 17mn tests per year, first received the accreditation in 2014. The re-accreditation marks the first time the Point of Care Testing Services across HMC have been inspected. 
The CAP provides the world’s most recognised laboratory accreditation programme, which is considered the global gold standard for laboratory management, HMC has said in a statement.
Dr Ajayeb al-Nabet, chairperson of the DLMP, commended her team and colleagues on the successful collaboration that resulted in the reaccreditation. 
The DLMP provides a comprehensive range of specialised laboratory services for the people of Qatar. The tests performed by the department include those for the Blood Bank Service.


Dr Ajayeb al-Nabet
 
“The CAP laboratory accreditation programme checklists contain over 3,000 standards that are used during laboratory accreditation inspections to help laboratories stay in compliance with internationally set standards. The fact that our DLMP facilities have achieved CAP accreditation for the third consecutive time since 2014 demonstrates our team’s strong commitment to providing the highest quality of services for patients across Qatar. I’m immensely proud of the team, their diligent efforts and professional approach which have made this considerable feat possible,” said Dr al-Nabet. 
The DLMP is located in nine facilities across Qatar and provides services to HMC’s network of twelve hospitals. The DLMP not only serves the patients of HMC but also provides referral services to over 135 customers across Qatar. These include the military, police, embassies, international schools, banks, private hospitals, and national and multinational companies. The Blood Bank Service is the sole source of blood and blood products for the country and Qatar depends on the service for a safe and adequate supply of blood and blood products. 
This year has been particularly notable for the DLMP as the department has also achieved recognition as a National Influenza Centre by the World Health Organisation (WHO). This reflects the mandate given by the Ministry of Public Health to the DLMP to collect virus specimens for Qatar and to perform preliminary analysis that is then shared with the WHO’s Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS). 
The GISRS monitors the evolution of influenza viruses and provides recommendations in areas including laboratory diagnostics, vaccines, antiviral susceptibility, and risk assessment. It is the global alert mechanism for the emergence of influenza viruses with pandemic potential.