CASTRIES, St. Lucia – The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) says it has entered into a partnership with the Caribbean Med Labs Foundation, in launching the “Trust Every Result” campaign, an initiative aimed at transforming laboratory regulation in the Caribbean region.
A statement issued by the St. Lucia-based OECS Commission noted that for over two decades, the Caribbean Med Labs Foundation, together with regional governments and development organizations, has worked to elevate laboratory standards across the Caribbean.
“Despite significant progress, today, less than 10 per cent of Caribbean laboratories are regulated, creating an urgent need for comprehensive laboratory regulation that prioritizes the health and well-being of Caribbean populations”.
Director of the Caribbean Med Labs Foundation, Valerie Wilson, said ‘we have collectively made significant progress but much more has to be achieved to ensure we can trust every result”.
The statement said “Trust Every Result” campaign serves as a resounding call to action, underscoring the pivotal importance of instilling trust in every laboratory result, whether emanating from clinical or public health laboratories.
Globally, the imperative of regulating medical and public health laboratories to safeguard populations from substandard practices has gained increasing recognition.
“Over the past decade lab services around the World have been undergoing significant reform and transformation, it is imperative that Governments take the lead in introducing standards and laws to regulate medical and public health labs comprehensively…the pace of transformation in the Caribbean must accelerate.…,” said OECS Director General, Dr. Didacus Jules.
The statement said in a region confronted by persistent challenges, from natural disasters to global pandemics, and the relentless burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) that strain valuable resources, the “Trust Every Result” campaign was designed to mobilize widespread community support for lab regulation across island communities.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, has championed the Trust Every Result campaign. In 2022, St. Vincent and the Grenadines became the first country to introduce a national laboratory policy and enacting legislation to regulate medical laboratories.
“We have to ensure that every dimension of medical laboratories be of a top quality to provide efficacious results to the medical practitioners and other professionals in the health field,” Gonsalves said.
Since then the work of St. Vincent and the Grenadines serves as a model for other Caribbean nations.
“With over 80 per cent of medical decisions influenced by laboratory results, clinical and public health laboratories, both public and private, play a pivotal role in sustaining healthcare ecosystems across the region.
“The “Trust Every Result” Campaign represents a clarion call for change. It implores Caribbean communities, governments, and laboratory providers to unite and prioritize the regulation of medical and public health laboratories,” the statement added.
