Developing a laboratory system from scratch is complex. It requires constructing or retrofitting a facility to house the lab, supplying that facility with the necessary equipment and long-term maintenance, developing staff capacity to conduct critical quality tests, and establishing procurement procedures for chemical reagents, laboratory consumables, and other essential substances.

To meet global quality standards, laboratories must establish a robust quality management system that incorporates good laboratory practices, analytical chemistry procedures, and other standard operating procedures and guidelines.

Achieving international accreditation, such as WHO prequalification and ISO 17025, shows that a laboratory can reliably and consistently generate accurate data that meets global standards for quality control testing. This critical data then informs regulatory action and public health decisions and interventions across the country.

As one recent example of successful accreditation, in 2019, Indonesia’s NQCL achieved WHO prequalification – the first laboratory to do so nationwide, thanks to support from our USAID-funded PQM program. In addition, in 2023, both Laos and Camboida achieved ISO 17025:2017 accreditation after working with USP to improve quality control testing methods, strengthen SOPs and guidelines, increase data integrity, expand laboratory infrastructure, and upgrade equipment calibration and maintenance.

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