global health
APHL Supports Laboratory Capacity in Sierra Leone
by Palmira Mangae, associate specialist, Global Health
T
he Ola During Children’s Hospital (ODCH)
and Princess Christian Maternity Hospital
(PCMH), two pediatric hospitals in the
center of Freetown, deliver most of the pediatric
care in Sierra Leone, and their laboratories furnish
critical testing capability for the country. APHL is
centering efforts to build laboratory capacity at
these two facilities—and progress is being made.
Members of the Ebola virus outbreak Rapid
Response Teams (RRTs), part of Sierra Leone’s
outbreak surveillance program, have transitioned
to laboratory response strengthening. They work
with the hospitals and other laboratorians to test
for diseases such as measles, rubella, yellow fever,
cholera, shigella, HIV and influenza.
APHL Activities
APHL is supporting the ODCH and PCMH
laboratories with reagents and equipment,
supervisory visits, auditing of laboratory processes
and technical assistance where needed. Recently,
APHL Laboratory Program Support consultant,
Esther Vitto, MD, evaluated laboratory safety
practices, performed an inspection of the
facilities, and discussed concerns and needs
with the laboratory staff. With APHL’s assistance,
both laboratories have shown improvement in
laboratory techniques as well as faster testing
turnaround times. These advances help clinicians
to accurately diagnose patients based on reliable
test results.
Challenges
Despite the improvements, the laboratories
still face a myriad of challenges. Limitations
include delays in sample delivery, problems
with connectivity between computers and the
equipment transcribing testing results, and
inconsistent availability of Internet services.
Future Strides
As part of the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health’s
strategic plan, APHL will continue to provide
mentorship, training and technical assistance
to the nation’s laboratory system. Services are
expected to include:
• Development of human resource capacity
• Development of a quality assurance system
• D
esign and implementation of a laboratory
information management system (LIMS)
Laboratory technician and RRT member Alhaji Kamara gives a laboratory
tour at ODCH.
• Strengthening the Central Public Health
Laboratory Reference Networks
• Upgrading peripheral, district and/or referral
hospitals into a National Public Health Institute
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Spring 2017 LAB MATTERS
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