The Quality Management System of the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD), under the leadership of Executive Director Dr. Jaime C. Montoya, underwent an Internal Quality Audit (IQA) on April 18-19, 22, 26, 2024. Participated in by teams of auditors and process owners with the senior staff, the internal audit evaluated the Council’s management, core, and support processes compliance with the ISO 9001:2015 standards and other pertinent DOST statutory and legal requirements.

“The conduct of IQA is important as it determines whether the council’s Quality Management System (QMS) complies with its planned arrangements, ISO 9001:2015 requirements, and other relevant regulations. It also helps in identifying potential areas for improvement and scrutinizing the progress of the findings resulting from previous audits conducted,” said Ms. Glaiza Sacro, IQA Team Leader. 

The four-day audit has been instrumental in the determination of positive points, non-conformities, and potential problems and opportunities/areas of improvement for all divisions in compliance with key performance indicators (KPIs) set by each division and the Council itself. 

Following the comprehensive overview of the audit’s findings, Dr. Montoya thanked and congratulated all the auditors for lending their time and effort to assess and examine the council’s divisions in the internal audit. “Talagang makakatulong itong internal audit para maging prepared tayo kung sakaling magkaroon tayo ng external audit sa susunod (The Internal Audit will surely help us to get prepared in case there will be an external audit soon),” he said. 

The Internal Quality Audit, which follows the ISO 9001:2015 standard, aims to identify areas for improvement and ensure the Council’s continued effectiveness in driving health research and development in the Philippines. It shows DOST-PCHRD’s commitment to upholding the highest quality standards through management systems to improve the nation’s healthcare.