PAMET Hosts AAMLS 7TH International Webinar on Biorisk Management

The Asia Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists and the Philippine Association of Medical Technologists, in collaboration with the Biorisk Association of the Philippines, hosted the 7th AAMLS International Webinar on Biorisk Management on June 3, 2023 with the theme "Keeping Laboratories Safe and Secure In the Post-pandemic Era". Five renowned speakers from Singapore and Philippines delivered relevant and timely topics related to post-pandemic biosafety practices.

As we walk the precarious path between eased pandemic restrictions and the virus’s continuing threat, we find ourselves in a post-pandemic transition, defined by the World Health Organization as a “decrease in pandemic surveillance due to a decrease in pandemic outbreak”.

The Asia Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists and the Philippine Association of Medical Technologists, in collaboration with the Biorisk Association of the Philippines, chose the theme “KEEPING LABORATORIES SAFE AND SECURE IN THE POST-PANDEMIC ERA” for the 7th AAMLS International Webinar. Five renowned speakers from Singapore and Philippines delivered relevant and timely topics related post-pandemic biosafety practices.

Mr. Gamaliel Fulgueras, PAMET Vice-President and Mr. Ronaldo E. Puno, BRAP President and AAMLS Vice-chairman welcomed the over 2,500 participants while Dr. Eddie Ang Han San, AAMLS Chairman, gave an inspirational message.

Dr. Viji Viayan of Singapore discussed Safety Accreditation for Clinical Laboratories. She stated that the concept and practice of biosafety are rapidly evolving in both local and international settings. To bring clinical trials to fruition, every stakeholder must be involved in promoting laboratory safety and improving biosafety culture through accreditation.

Dean Fedelyn Estrella, addressed the importance of risk assessment, which she believes should be conducted to evaluate what could go wrong by determining the likelihood that an undesirable incident will occur and the consequences if such an undesirable incident occurs. The value of biosafety, biosecurity, and risk assessment in the clinical laboratory cannot be overstated.

Laboratory biosafety and biosecurity challenges was the topic of Mr. Chua Peng Jin Roger. He stated that during the Covid-19 pandemic, there was a massive surge in the demand for laboratories to set up diagnostic capabilities for Covid-19 testing, which had a significant impact on biosafety and biosecurity. Laboratories had to deal with a surge in testing workload while also dealing with limited resources and training issues. The observations presented and discussed regarding biosafety and biosecurity issues encountered during the pandemic and post-pandemic have undoubtedly provided insights for future improvements in biosafety and biosecurity practices.

Engr. Aldrich Fabian Padilla Layugan discussed Hazardous Material Management. He emphasized that because each workplace is distinct, we must do our own thing: independent research, conduct a thorough risk assessment, and engage the services of safety experts in order to take the necessary steps to fully control the hazards of hazardous substances. I am sure we can all agree that an efficient system should be in place to track hazardous wastes from the point of generation to the final treatment or disposal. We all agree that a safe, efficient, and environmentally sound management of chemical, universal, radioactive, and biohazardous wastes from generation to disposal is critical to the Institution.