WHO

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION - REGIONAL OFFICE FOR AFRICA

ASSESSORS TRAINING for Laboratory Accreditation Program

July 22-24, 2009

Nairobi, Kenya

INTRODUCTION

The first World Health Organization – Regional Office for Africa, Laboratory Accreditation Program; Assessors Training was held at the Silver Springs Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya, July 22 – 24, 2009. The goal was to provide a detailed hands-on training on the WHO-AFRO step-wise tiered laboratory accreditation scheme and develop capacity to assess with the highest possible professional standards, clinical diagnostic and public health laboratories in Africa.

The three day training program was a collaborative effort between World Health Organization – Regional Office for Africa, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and A Global Healthcare Public Foundation to provide hands-on training on the World Health Organization – Regional Office for Africa stepwise tiered laboratory accreditation schemes and develop capacity to assess clinical diagnostic and public health laboratories in Africa. Participants were selected from Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, and Uganda.

The training hosted participants from four countries; Kenya, Cameroon, Rwanda, and Ethiopia, with regrets from two participants from Uganda and Senegal. The trainees had two days of instruction on assessment techniques, an overview of the checklists and a full day of assessing local laboratories with oversight by AGHPF. Training instructors were Mr. Kilian Songwe, President/Regional Director, AGHPF; Dr. Earle Collum, Regional Commissioner, Laboratory Accreditation Program, CAP; and Mr. Michael Stokes, Senior Program Associate, Clinical Quality Management Systems, AGHPF. Professor El-hadj Belabbes, HIV Lab Officer, WHO Inter Country Support Team, Central Africa represented the World Health Organization – Regional Office for Africa.

At the end of the training, participants were certified as qualified laboratory assessors, and will be called upon occasionally to review laboratories that are seeking accreditation by WHO-AFRO.

Program Detail

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