Bio-Rad Laboratories in association with Quality Council of India (QCI), Government of India, has organized a quality awareness seminar in Mumbai last week. Expert panelists spoke about quality norms, importance of accreditation of laboratories and significance of diagnosis in health care sector. It was attended by doctors, several laboratory authorities and representatives of pharmaceutical companies. Similar seminars focussing on the need for upgradation and enforcement of QC practices will be conducting in major cities of India very soon, official sources said.

Speaking at the seminar, Dhiren Wagle, country manager of Bio-Rad Labs said, "Quality control in diagnostic labs is a critical step in establishing standardized testing procedures for patients. The seminar such as the one being organized in association with QCI is an initiative by Bio-Rad to raise consciousness about the subject in not just the medical fraternity but also within publics at large. We are committed in our efforts to help diagnostic laboratories across the country follow world-class practices to ensure best patient care."

Also present at the seminar, Dr Thuppil Venkatesh, principle advisor - QCI & NRCLPI, professor - Department of Biochemistry and BioPhysics, St John's Medical College, Bangalore stressed on importance of accreditation of laboratories. "Only handful of labs are accredited, and this situation poses a risk to the public at large. On voluntary basis labs has to comply with both international and national requirement." Through a presentation he explained that for accreditation, labs just have to follow basic norms that are majority of times ignored.

Other panelists were Dr Peter Vervaart, principal scientist, Pathology Services, Royal Hobart Hospital, member of Advisory Committee of the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA), Australia; and Sonal Pandya, manager Clinical Standards and Practices. Bio-Rad Labs, Asia Pacific.

QCI is an autonomous body under the Government of India which has established and operates a National Accreditation Structure for assessment bodies. In association with Bio-Rad, multinational manufacturer and distributor of life science research products and clinical diagnostics, QCI has been actively involved in spreading awareness in the area of QC in diagnostic labs.