HKIMLSQAP (founded 1990)

The health service in Hong Kong has long leaned upon overseas systems and has none of its own which has been criticized even in the Editorial of the prominent Medical Journal "The Lancet" vol 322, the February issue of 1990.

Foreseeing this pitfall, a syndicate of enthusiastic and energetic practicing medical laboratory professionals associated together in the late 1988. They studied the feasibility of implementing a local Quality Assurance Programme to promote the quality and standard of medical laboratory techniques, to reveal the trend of methodology and help rectify technical problems among medical laboratories in Hong Kong. After nearly 2 years' research and exploration, this fabulous idea eventually came true! The Hong Kong Institute of Medical Laboratory Sciences Quality Assurance Programme Ltd. (HKIMLSQAP), formerly the Hong Kong Medical Technology Association Quality Assurance Programme, was launched as the first ever run indigenous programme in Hong Kong in February 1990.

Organization

A committee was formed to implement and administer the HKIMLSQAP. Totally there are 18 office-bearers including chairman, vice chairman, 3 Secretaries, treasurer, panel heads of the six specialties offered. Apart from this, there are two panels, Specialty Panel and Consultant Panel.

Specialty Panel

Members of this panel are recruited from eminent medical laboratory technologists and scientific officers practicing in public and private sectors. The Panel Heads are given high degree of freedom and autonomy to manipulate their specialties. They are responsible for the administration, development, data manipulation, statistical analysis and generation of the survey report.

Consultant Panel

Distinguished professors, senior academic staff and pathologists are invited to give comments and advice to each specialty. They would oversee the survey data returned by the participants and give suggestions for improvement.

Finance

HKIMLSQAP is non-profit making. The HKIMLSQAP Committee was initially financed by the Hong Kong Institute of Medical Laboratory Sciences Ltd., formerly Hong Kong Medical Technology Association (founded 1966). Now the major financial source is from the subscription of the participants. The appointment of the office-bearers and the panel members of HKIMLSQAP are non-remunerated and entirely under voluntary basis.

HKIMLSQAP Specialties

Now HKIMLSQAP offers six specialties: AFB Smear (in collaboration with Tuberculosis Laboratory, Institute of Pathology, Yung Fung Shee Memorial Centre), Anatomical Pathology, Clinical Chemistry, Haematology & Serology, Microbiology and Virology. From 1996, our Association in cooperation with the Hong Kong College of Pathologists offers a Joint Quality Assurance Programme in Clinical Microbiology. Currently, the 2 institutions also jointly operate an Interpretative Quality Assurance Programme in Haematology. In the year 2006, there are 85 participants enrolled in 243 subjects.

Confidentiality

Each participant is assigned with a laboratory code. This code is the only identity for communication between the participant and the HKIMLSQAP Committee. The key to identify this code is held by one and only one person in the HKIMLSQAP Committee. Participants' data will not be released to any persons or bodies under any circumstances. Members of the HKIMLSQAP Committee are also forbidden to release any data to any outsiders.

World Health Organisation (WHO) Participation

The HKIMLSQAP has participated in the International External Quality Assurance Scheme (IEQAS) of WHO. As participation is on the national basis, we have the honour and privilege to represent Hong Kong in this Scheme. At present we have joined the IEQAS in the specialties of clinical chemistry, coagulation and haematology.

Last update on 24 February 2006