Sysmex Signs Agreement with National Health Laboratory of Myanmar to Provide Scientific Support Activities Aimed at Enhancing the Quality of Clinical Testing
Sysmex Corporation (HQ: Kobe, Japan; Chairman and CEO: Hisashi Ietsugu) announced today that it has signed an agreement with the National Health Laboratory (NHL), a Myanmar government institution, to conduct scientific support activities with the aim of enhancing the quality of clinical testing in the country.
Myanmar has demonstrated remarkable economic growth in recent years. Fifth-largest of the ASEAN countries in terms of population (51.41 million1), Myanmar represents a promising market. In the healthcare field, the country’s Ministry of Health and Sports is taking the lead in infrastructure development and other efforts to raise the level of healthcare. Improving the quality of clinical testing is one aspect that has been cited.
Sysmex has received accreditation under ISO/IEC 170432, and has been providing external quality assessment services based on international standards to laboratories in Japan and overseas. We have also entered into agreements with government institutions in China, Mongolia and Cambodia to conduct scientific support activities aimed at enhancing the quality of clinical testing.
In Myanmar as well, since 2014 we have been proposing scientific support activities to the NHL, a reference laboratory3 designated by Myanmar’s Ministry of Health and Sports.
Sysmex Corporation, Sysmex Asia Pacific Pte Ltd. and the NHL have now concluded an agreement regarding scientific support activities aimed at enhancing the quality of clinical testing in Myanmar.
Sysmex will support the establishment and operation of a national external quality assessment4 scheme in the hematology field for clinical laboratories in Myanmar. In addition, we will offer operational and maintenance support for Sysmex’s automated hematology analyzer that has already been installed to the NHL. We will also provide technological and scientific expertise based on the experience it has cultivated in support services to local healthcare professionals who are central to laboratory operations.
Going forward, Sysmex will continue striving to provide support for clinical testing in developing countries and emerging markets, contributing to increased quality of clinical testing and thereby instilling trust and confidence in customers throughout the world.
Overview of the Agreement
Agreement date: October 8, 2016
Content: Conducting support activities aimed at improving clinical testing in Myanmar
Duration: October 8, 2016 through October 7, 2019 (automatically renewing thereafter for one-year periods)
Terminology
- From the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (announced in September 2014 by Myanmar’s Ministry of Immigration and Population)
- ISO/IEC 17043: An international standard for providers of proficiency testing. Indicates a provider of external quality assessment in the clinical testing field.
- Reference laboratory: A model clinical laboratory for a region or country that serves a central laboratory role. This type of laboratory conducts tests that enable traceability against standardized methods of international testing.
- External quality assessment: A method under which the same specimens (such as artificially produced blood) are distributed to multiple clinical laboratories, and the measurement results obtained are analyzed using statistical methods, thereby allowing the accuracy of individual laboratories’ measurement results to be evaluated. The results are provided as feedback to these laboratories, helping to increase the quality of testing.
Information contained in the press release is current as of the date of the announcement, but may be subject to change without prior notice.