Deptt of Virology PGIMER Gets WHO Accreditation

By 121 News

Chandigarh 17^th April:- World Health Organization (WHO), a delegation headed by Dr David Featherstone from New Zealand and Dr Kaveri from KIPM&R, Chennai visited the Department of Virology, PGIMER, Chandigarh on 16^th and 17^th April 2018 for the second external audit. The Department of Virology became the 'WHO National Measles Laboratory' in 2015 and has been serving as the reference centre for serological testing of measles and rubella and underwent an external audit in 2016 as per ISO 15189:2012 standards. To keep up with the ambitious global goal of measles and rubella elimination by 2020, Department of Virology in association with WHO has been instrumental in outbreak surveillance for the past three years and have also recently initiated case-based surveillance in a phased manner.

In the welcome address, Dr RK Ratho, Prof & Head, Department of Virology, highlighted the current status of Measles and Rubella across the country and emphasized the importance of effective vaccination coverage for these two viral vaccine-preventable diseases. Dr Mini P Singh, Additional Professor & Laboratory in-charge further showcased the departmental activities in her introductory presentation. The department has been participating in external quality assurance scheme (EQAS) with KIPM&R, Chennai and Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory (VIDRL), Australia for the past three years. Scoring achieved in EQAS is directly proportional to the quality of reports generated by any laboratory. The Department of Virology achieved 100% proficiency in testing the blinded samples for Measles and Rubella serology, received from VIDRL, Australia consecutively for third time.

During the two day visit, Dr Featherstone critically analysed the entire process of serological testing of measles and rubella in the department and gave his expert suggestions for the same. A meticulous evaluation covering all aspects of testing was done by the experts who appreciated the quality standards being maintained in the department. The department has yet again achieved the status of WHO accreditation for carrying out serology for measles and rubella.