The internationally accredited medical laboratory facility was among top 15 companies that were celebrated at the ECOWAS event held in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, on June 30, this year.

Five companies each, drawn from countries within the sub-region that excelled in various capacities, were presented with prizes in the large, medium and small-scale category.

Medlab grabbed the award for the outstanding performance in the medium category.

The feat achieved by Medlab came after the Association of Ghana Industries shortlisted it among two outstanding Ghanaian entities following the Ghana quality awards held earlier this year.

The award which was instituted by the ECOWAS with funding from the European Union (EU) is meant to promote the use of quality standards by public and private companies to make their products competitive on the world stage and also ensure better services for customers.

About Medlab

Medlab got the International Standardisation Organisation (ISO) certificate for product quality in 2008 and has since then been the leading company in medical laboratory practice in the country.

The company operates a central laboratory in Accra and regional laboratories at Kumasi and Takoradi, with emphasis on efficient resource management, adherence to ISO standards, and us the use of modern technology.

One of the unique services that Medlab offers is the newborn screening test, a technology that allows for newborns for inherited metabolic birth defects that are likely to cause mental retardation, physical problems and early deaths.

The company also has an innovation dubbed “self-sampling test” for detecting Human Papillomavirus, commonly called cervical cancer. The test is recommended for women who do not want to go through gynaecological screening for some reasons.

The entity has another innovation, neoBona 2015, a new generation of non-invasive prenatal testing developed by integrating the most innovative technologies.

The technology helps to differentiate between cell-free Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of fetal and maternal origin.

Also operated by the company are services including hematology, chemistry, immunology, microbiology, histology, and molecular pathology.

In terms of medical imaging, the company also offers services ranging from computerised tomography (CT) scan, x-ray, ultrasound mammography, and Doppler.

Quality standards

Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Accra today (Monday), the Managing Director of the Medlab, Dr Rosemary Keatley, the award was a wakeup call for the company to continue to adhere to internationally accepted standards.

“As a country, the government, policy makers, and companies need to realise that quality is key in service delivery and take steps to implement laws and initiatives that will make our products or services to be accepted at the global market.

“The country has been faced with many instances in which the quality of our products has been compromised. We can talk about the contaminated fuel saga, diluted palm oil, and the non-acceptance of some of the country’s products by the EU.

“We need to put in place mechanisms to make the laws on adherence to standards work. We must also educate customers to look out for quality in the services they seek, especially, in the health care delivery, because quality things may be seen as costly but they are cheaper in the long run,” she said.