Medical Laboratories Classification Committee Holds Its Sixteenth Meeting

Medical Laboratories Classification Committee Holds Its Sixteenth Meeting

Ramallah – The Medical Laboratories Classification Committee held its sixteenth meeting, both in person at the headquarters of the Palestinian Standards Institution (PSI) and virtually via Microsoft Teams, with the participation of representatives from six relevant organizations.

The Committee Secretary, Dr. Hiba Zabadi, stated that the committee discussed five draft Palestinian standards during the meeting and decided to submit them to the Institution’s Board of Directors for approval as new Palestinian standards. The committee also completed the review of nine Palestinian standards and recommended the withdrawal of three of them due to the cancellation of their international references without available alternatives. It further recommended maintaining one standard in force and referring five other standards for updating.

She added that the committee discussed several new and revised Palestinian standards, including the draft Palestinian standard for Sintered Porous Laboratory Filters – Porosity Grading, Classification, and Designation, and the draft Palestinian standard for Requirements and Recommendations for Supervisors and Operators of Point-of-Care Testing (POCT) Equipment. In addition, the committee reviewed draft standards in the field of biotechnology concerning methods for detecting microbiological contamination in mammalian cell cultures, as well as general requirements and special considerations for the testing and characterization of cellular therapeutic products.

The committee also completed the review of the following ten Palestinian standards:

• PS 3905-2021: Enclosed Long-Scale Thermometers for Precision Use.
• PS 3906-2021: Enclosed Short-Scale Thermometers for Precision Use.
• PS 3907-2021: Glass Resistant to Attack by Boiling Mixed Alkali Solutions – Test Method and Classification.
• PS 3908-2021: Laboratory Glassware – Thermal Shock and Thermal Shock Endurance – Test Methods.
• PS 3909-2021: Laboratory Glassware – Graduated Pipettes.
• PS 3911-2021: Laboratory Glassware – Pipettes – Colour Coding.
• PS 3913-2021: Enclosed Long-Scale Thermometers for General Purposes.
• PS 3914-2021: Porcelain and Silica Laboratory Crucibles.
• PS 3949-1-2021: Medical Laboratory Diagnostic Devices – Multiplex Molecular Testing for Nucleic Acids – Part 1: Terminology and General Requirements for Nucleic Acid Quality Evaluation.
• Draft Standard PMS 3949-3: In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices – Multiplex Molecular Testing for Nucleic Acids – Part 3: Interpretation and Reporting.

This meeting comes as part of the efforts of the Palestinian Standards Institution to develop and update Palestinian standards across various sectors in line with scientific and technological advancements, contributing to the enhancement of laboratory and healthcare service quality and strengthening the quality infrastructure in Palestine.