Laboratory systems strengthening in zimbabwe - the biomedical research and training institute (brti) and its partners, clinical and laboratory standards institute (clsi) and infection control…

Laboratory systems strengthening in zimbabwe - the biomedical research and training institute (brti) and its partners, clinical and laboratory standards institute (clsi) and infection control association of zimbabwe (icaz) in zimbabwe will be implementing a 5-year project on supporting laboratory systems strengthening activities in zimbabwe under the president's emergency plan for aids relief (pepfar) to address existing gaps in access to quality-assured diagnostic services. The overarching goal of the project is to ensure universal access to quality diagnostic services for HIV viral load (VL)/early infant diagnosis (EID)/tuberculosis (TB)/sexually transmitted infections (stis) in a bid to save lives of people living with HIV (plhiv), avert new infections and achieve HIV epidemic control with support from the centres for disease control and prevention (CDC)/pepfar in zimbabwe. The purpose of the project is to support the ministry of health and child care (mohcc) in expanding and improving the quality of diagnostic and surveillance laboratory services for HIV VL/EID/TB/STI and emerging diseases of public health concern (edphc). Brti will implement a comprehensive approach to laboratory systems strengthening, initially in the 40 pepfar-supported districts and eventually in all 63 national districts, by leveraging previous pepfar investments, support from other mohcc, funding agencies/partners, public-private partnerships and mohcc initiatives for country-led sustainable programming. The 5 key strategies that will be implemented are building capacity and expanding services for key diagnostic methods; strengthening lims and its integration with other e-health systems; implementing innovative approaches for continual quality improvement in VL/EID/STI/TB/edphc testing according to international standards; establishing the capacity for lab-based disease surveillance and edphc; developing and implementing national policy guidelines and standards. At the end of the project period, the key expecte d outcomes will be universal access to quality, uninterrupted HIV VL/EID/TB/STI testing services through an efficient laboratory diagnostic network in line with appropriate policies and laboratory strategic plans implemented at all levels of the laboratory diagnostic network, improved lims related data driven decision making for planning, management and surveillance, sustainable organizational infrastructure with a qualified, optimized laboratory workforce, increased capacity to deliver and manage quality laboratory services and improved surveillance system including data driven planning and decision making, strengthened quality of blood transfusion services as part of prevention strategies for HIV, the use of blood transfusion for therapeutic purposes brings in blood safety at the core of laboratory systems, ensuring quality screening of blood and blood products for HIV and other infectious diseases will contribute to sustained HIV epidemic control and reduced new infections, increased standardization across laboratory services for HIV VL/EID/TB/stis and other emerging diseases of public health concern that align with national policies and guidelines (stepwise laboratory improvement process toward accreditation (slipta) and strengthening laboratory management toward accreditation (slmta), rapid test continuous quality improvement (rtcqi) and other CQI activities)