Dear Colleagues

You have opened the website of the Czech Society of Clinical Biochemistry (CSCB). As part of the Czech Medical Association (CMA), it provides a professional guarantee for one of the main branches of medicine, i.e. clinical biochemistry. Clinical biochemistry, laboratory medicine respectively, brings a lot of information about the patient, without which we cannot even imagine diagnosing and monitoring the course and treatment of many diseases, including the most severe.
As I have already mentioned, the main task of the CSCB is to guarantee the professional level of the branch, and its application in practice which is the work of clinical biochemistry laboratories. In its work the CSCB closely cooperates with many organisations and institutions, among other the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic, health insurance companies, accreditation commissions, faculties of medicine, Institute for Postgraduate Medical Education, Czech Medical Chamber, Czech Association of Nurses and Chamber of University-Education Health Professionals. An important task of the CSCB is to monitor the development of the branch globally, propose methods and enforce their use in practice, including health insurance company reimbursements. The CSCB comes up with expert recommendations for the use of laboratory testing in a whole series of areas, closely cooperates with other professional societies of the CMA, whether these are laboratory or clinical. The CSCB participates in ensuring the analytical quality of testing in biochemical laboratories and above all in observance of good laboratory practice according to the relevant standards – coming up with expert recommendations and cooperation with other organisations such as SEKK, National Authorization Centre for Clinical Laboratories (NASKL) and Czech Accreditation Institute (CAI). The scientific journal Klinická biochemie a metabolismus (Clinical Biochemistry and Metabolism), the FONS bulletin and other forms of communication are important for the activity of the CSCB and contact with its members.
An irreplaceable role of the CSCB is the education of laboratory and other healthcare professionals – it organises national congresses, seminars, webinars and other events, important for continuing education of healthcare professionals. The CSCB significantly participated in creating and updating educational programmes in clinical biochemistry for doctors and analysts; its representative is present at attestation tests. The CSCB is the guarantor of the Lab Tests Online Project, the role of which is to explain the importance of laboratory testing to the lay public.
The Section of Laboratory Technicians is very active within the CSCB; it ensures the education of laboratory technicians by organising working days and national congresses, participates in all proceedings with state administrative authorities, professional organisations and the Ministry of Health, where it protects the rights and interests of laboratory technicians.
Of immense importance for ensuring the activities of the CSCB is cooperation with companies manufacturing and distributing in vitro diagnostic products that are members of CZEDMA, the association of Czech manufacturers and suppliers of in vitro diagnostic products.
The CSCB is one of the international organisations ensuring clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine globally (IFCC) and in Europe (EFLM). In terms of the number of members, the CSCB is among the seven biggest societies of laboratory medicine in Europe, many of our colleagues are active in commissions and working groups of the EFLM and IFCC. The new educational programme in clinical biochemistry for doctors and analysts is the only one from the laboratory studies in the Czech Republic that fully complies with the European syllabus and the EFLM requirements for a European specialist in laboratory medicine (EuSpLM).
I hope that the CSCB website reflects all the activities of our Society. If you have any observations or queries, feel free to contact the members of the CSCB executive board.

Prof. MUDr. Jaroslav Racek, DrSc.
President of the Czech Society of Clinical Biochemistry of the JEP CMA