Twelve laboratories in Vietnam celebrated the successful completion of
a rigorous and interactive one-year management training programme at a
graduation ceremony held in Hanoi on August 29.
The
Strengthening Laboratory Management Toward Accreditation programme
(SLMTA) was implemented in Vietnam for the first time with
technical expertise from the US Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), the Vietnam Administration for Medical Services (VAMS)
under the Ministry of Health.
The success of the
SLMTA to improve laboratory performance has rapidly expanded the
programme nationally, which will result in more timely and reliable
testing for diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis, and influenza.
“ After over a year of implementing SLMTA in Vietnam , we’ve seen
many improvements made that meet the real needs of the laboratories,”
said Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Xuyen at the ceremony.
All
twelve laboratories showed improvements at different levels, shortened
the time patients wait for their test results and improved the entire
laboratory testing process, ” she said.
SLMTA is an
international laboratory improvement programme jointly developed by CDC
and the World Health Organisation, with technical input from the
American Society for Clinical Pathology.
It uses
internationally accepted standards adapted to the local environment and
provides a “learn by doing” curriculum with hands-on training activities
and regular on-site mentorship.
According to CDC
Director Michelle McConnell, the SLMTA programme empowers healthcare
professionals to improve their laboratories. The programme is now in its
second year and soon, the number of laboratories meeting international
standards will increase dramatically thanks to it.
Through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and CDC,
the United States has been the leading bilateral donor and partner for
strengthening the national laboratory system in Vietnam, committing more
than 30 million USD since 2005 and developing new national laboratory
policies and a fifteen-year national laboratory strategic plan.-VNA