National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories

Overview

NABL is a constituent board of the Quality Council of India that accredits clinical laboratories, calibration laboratories, and reference materials providers. NABL accreditation is the laboratory-specific counterpart to NABH hospital accreditation and is based on ISO 15189 (medical laboratories) and ISO/IEC 17025 (testing laboratories).

Founded: 1998 · Headquarters: New Delhi, India

What It Covers

NABL evaluates technical competence, quality management systems, equipment calibration, pre-analytical and analytical processes, internal and external quality assurance, and result reporting. Medical laboratory accreditation specifically covers test methods, reference ranges, and the qualifications of laboratory personnel.

Limitations

NABL accreditation applies to the laboratory only, not to the hospital or surgical services. A NABH-accredited hospital may use a non-NABL-accredited laboratory and vice versa. Patients receiving laboratory results from an Indian provider should verify which specific laboratory issued the report.

Renewal and Validity

NABL accreditation is valid for two years with annual surveillance assessments.

How to Verify

Verify any claim of NABL (National Accreditation Board for Laboratories) accreditation directly at: nabl-india.org/nabl/index.php?c=publicaccredationlist&m=index&type=AnsImg&Itemid=199

If a clinic claims this accreditation but does not appear in the public register, ask for the certificate number and expiry date. Contact the accrediting body directly to confirm.