Shrivastava SR* and Shrivastava PS
The availability of quality assured laboratory services and rapid diagnostic tests is one of the critical pillars of the preparedness and public health response against the ongoing Corona Virus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Despite of the fact that the needs of the laboratory services have increased immensely during the times of public health emergency, it is very essential that the performed laboratory tests are reliable and done in a timebound manner. The World Health Organization has developed a tool to assess the laboratories and the entire system of the laboratories in the nation with the help of a questionnaire. The tool provides insights about the description and evaluation of all the crucial aspects of the laboratories in a systematic approach. In conclusion, in the battle against COVID-19 infection, it is extremely important to assess the functioning of the individual laboratories as well as the laboratory system of the entire nation and improve the same accordingly to enhance the quality assurance of the diagnostic tests and procedures.
