Assessment of the National Laboratory System in Cambodia

The Mérieux Foundation and IQLS organized a one-week meeting in Phnom Penh from September 28 to October 2, 2020 to assess the country’s National Lab System.

The focus was to assess the WHO Laboratory Assessment Tool (LAT), a simple and standardized way to assess:

• Laboratories’ organization at country level;
• Laboratory network’s organization;
• QA’s promotion at country level;
• Laboratory activities’ standardization and coordination;
• Laboratories’ communication.

The LAT also checks potential overlaps or gaps and produces a SWOT analysis with correlated recommendations to support updating policies.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic context, causing increasing demand on public health laboratories, the key stakeholders actively participated throughout the audit.

Several experts from the Bureau of Medical Laboratory Services (BMLS), National Center for Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control (CENAT), National Institute of Public Health (NIPH), National Center for HIV/AIDS, Dermatology and Sexually Transmitted Disease (NCHAT), University of Health Sciences (UHS), and the National Center for Parasitology, Entomology and Malaria Control (CNM) answered questions divided into eight specific modules.

Mrs. Raftery from the World Health Organization (WHO), Mrs. Letchford from the Diagnostic Microbiology Development Program (DMDP), Mr. Karlsson from the Institut Pasteur of Cambodia (IPC) and Dr. Mardy from the Mérieux Foundation assisted Mr. Vivian Fensham from IQLS to facilitate the assessment.

IQLS provided one-off online support to clarify questions asked by experts based in France, Africa and Canada.

This initial audit will be completed by a post intervention assessment to transfer the lead of the Lab System Assessment to the National Health Authorities and to measure progress during the implementation of the SEALAB project.