SADCAS is proud to announce the extension of its scope in the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) Mutual Recognition Arrangement to include Medical Testing to ISO 15189 and Inspection to ISO/IEC 17020 following an extraordinary joint peer evaluation successfully held from 14 to 19 May 2017 by ILAC and the African Accreditation Cooperation (AFRAC).
The decision was made by the ILAC Arrangement Council at its meeting held on Saturday 28 October 2017 in Vancouver, Canada and once again in a record 5 months after the evaluation. The MOU was signed during a ceremony held in conjunction with the Joint ILAC and International Accreditation Forum (IAF) held on Sunday, 30 October 2017 in Vancouver, Canada. The SADCAS Board Chairman Mr Steven Bruce Sidney who is also the ILAC Laboratory Committee Chairman was there together with Mrs Maureen P Mutasa the SADCAS CEO to receive the MOU on behalf of SADCAS.
SADCAS originally joined ILAC as an Affiliate Member in 2008. SADCAS membership was then upgraded to Associate Member in 2011 having accredited enough testing and calibration to meet the competence requirements for consideration as a Full member. In June 2014 SADCAS underwent a pre peer evaluation of its Testing and Calibration Laboratories Accreditation Programs to determine its readiness for peer evaluation which was subsequently undertaken in May 2015. SADCAS was originally admitted as an ILAC full member in November 2015 when she achieved signatory status in the ILAC MRA for Testing and calibration to ISO/IEC 17025. The extraordinary peer evaluation for scope extension was conducted in May 2017 and culminating in the achievement.
