One of the missions of the Health Technologies for Quality of Care team of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is to cooperate technically with the National Public Health Institutions, regulatory agencies and the public health national laboratories of the Region of the Americas to ensure the continuous improvement of the laboratory services in the clinical diagnosis and epidemiological surveillance; thus contributing to lower morbidity and mortality and optimal patient care in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Technical cooperation in the Laboratory is governed by the mandates of both the World Health Assembly, through Resolutions WHA58.29 Enhancement of laboratory biosafety (2005), WHA59.2 Application of the International Health Regulations (2005), and the Governing Bodies of PAHO, summarized in the resolutions of the 124th Session of the Executive Committee (CE124) of 1999 (Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases and Antimicrobial Resistance), and the resolutions of the 126th Session of the Executive Committee (CE126) of 2000 (Essential Public Health Functions).