PHILIPSBURG – On Monday August 18th, Sint Maarten Laboratory Services (SLS) Leona Romeo Marlin Acting Minister of Public Health, Social Development & Labor Affairs (VSA) to their main branch in Cay Hill and the Environmental Lab in Simpson Bay for an orientation visit.
While at the SLS main branch, Acting Minister of VSA Romeo Marlin was given an introductory presentation by the SLS Management Team led by Interim Director / Clinical Chemist Dr. Chérina Fleming.
Sint Maarten Laboratory Services (SLS) which has been established since 2005 has been providing a number of key laboratory services for the community of Sint Maarten. The most visible service to the community are its Phlebotomy Centers. Phlebotomy is the practice of drawing blood from a blood vessel. SLS N.V. has five phlebotomy centers on the island, with the Cay Hill location being the “main location”. All samples collected at the remote phlebotomy centers are transported within a defined time and under appropriate conditions to the laboratory (main location). In total, there are 16 certified phlebotomists with vast experience employed at SLS N.V. A selected few of these phlebotomists are also qualified to draw blood from babies and children.
Some of the other services the SLS provide include Clinical Chemistry & Hematology, Microbiology & Parasitology, Pathology and Cytology, DNA/Paternity Testing, Non-invasive Prenatal Testing and Environmental and Water Testing.
In the area of Environmental and Water Testing, Minister Romeo Marlin visited Environmental Lab located in Simpson Bay that is specifically geared towards carrying out tests on drinking water that is produced at local reverse osmosis water plants. In addition, tests are also carried out on the drinking water distributed by GEBE the utility company, imported drinking water, cubed ice, and effluent waters.
Important to note, SLS Labs operate under the standards established in the Kingdom of the Netherlands and as such provides many of their services to the BES islands and Dutch Caribbean countries where possible.
