WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
ORGANISATION MONDIALE DE LA SANTE
REGIONAL OFFICE FOR THE WESTERN PACIFIC BUREAU REGIONAL DU PACIFIQUE OCCIDENTAL I
REGIONAL COMMITTEE Forty-fourth session Manila 13-17 September 1993 Agenda item 25
WPR/RC44/NGO/3 17 September 1993 ORIGINAL: ENGLISH
STATEMENT BY MR MASAMICHI KINOMOTO, REPRESENTATIVE OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MEDICAL LABORATORY TECHNOLOGISTS (lAMLT)
IAt'\fLT and Medkal Laboratory Technologists IAML T is a worldwide organization which includes members from 40 different countrie~. As a group, the numbers of medical laboratory technologists are growing and interest in taking part in our global association is increasing every year. For example in 1992, 12 new countries applied for membership in IAMLT. Our members work in medical laboratories in the fields of Clinical Chemistry, Clinical Microbiology, Hematology, Cellular Pathology, Transfusion Medicine, and Immunology. You will also find many medical laboratory technologists involved in Primary Health Care and in research facilities.
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20th International Congress of IAMLT, July 1992 This year, our biannual and 20th International Congress of IAMLT was held in Dublin, Ireland. The Congress offered a most challenging and scientifically stimulating programme covering all the main medical laboratory fields as well as the Management/Education and Health/Safety Sections. Every second year, together with the Congress, a General Assembly of Delegates (GAD) is held. This i~ a forum for discussion on areas of concern. Many of our common areas of concern are also items which you will be discussing here at this Regional Committee Meeting, such as: (I) A healthy environment - protection from hazardous wastes - safe working conditions
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(2) Appropriate patient care - ensuring the qual ity of services (3) Research and health development support - planning and education
Curriculum for a course in Health & Safety IAMLT has developed a curriculum for a course in Health & Safety for medical laboratory workers. A copy for your information has been included with this statement. It is intended to assist or act as a starting point when planning safety training or for an actual educational course. It is our hope that it will be useful in developing training programmes for students and laboratory workers all over the world. We also hope that this curriculum will serve as a standard for the decision-makers and authorities and to make them more aware of current laboratory health and safety practice.
WHO - Global Programme on AIDS In 1991, IAML T applied to WHO - Global Programme on AIDS for partnership grants to support collaboration between nongovernmental organizations working on HIV I AIDS in developing countries. The intention was to use the above mentioned curriculum in Health and Safety to instruct health care personnel in Uganda. The application was not successful, but we will be reapplying in 1992 and hope to be successful this time.
Qualifications of Medical Laboratory Technologists Our members throughout the world are dedicated to serving the health care needs of the public. The practice of medical laboratory technology requires high standards of practical skills and theoretical knowledge. At the 19th IAML T Congress in Geneva, Switzerland, the General Assembly of Delegates (GAD) adopted the following statement: "To ensure the patient's life and health, we strongly recommend clinical laboratory test service and the important diagnostic work both in private and in public clinics to be done by fuily qualified medical laboratory technologists." This year, at our 20th GAD in Dublin, Ireland, it was adopted that IAMLT will develop a policy standard re: the authorization or registration of clinical laboratory practice by medical laboratory technologists for the next meeting in Hong Kong, 1994.
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IAMLT Travel and Training Fund During the past two years, IAMLT establ ished a permanent "Travel and Training Fund". The purpose of this fund is to help medical laboratory technologists in developing countries to acquire new knowledge and skills by attending an IAMLT Congress or by financial support for specific training courses. This fund made it possible for a large number of our colleagues from different parts of the world to attend the 1992 Congress in Ireland and we hope to be able to continue to support other colleagues in the future.
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IAMLT Code or Ethics At the GAD in 1990, a proposal was put forward to work out a Code of Ethics for our worldwide association. The basis of this proposal was to look at ethics as an area of practical philosophy and to find common basic values of the profession of medical laboratory technology all over the world. We are glad to inform you that our Code of Ethics was approved at our GAD this summer.
Collaboration with NGOs In recent years, WHO, through its Regional Offices, has been in favour of putting more focus on working with nongovernmental organizations. IAMLT supports this and hopes that the Regional Committee will live up to these expectations. Finally, the International Association of Medical Laboratory Technologists would like to extend its sincere thanks to the World Health Organization, Regional Office for the Americas. We feel that all of us must work together to achieve the common goal "Health for All by the year 2000".
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