Drafting of Strategic Plan for NAHPRI on track
Cambodia
February 3, 2023
The third Working Group on the National Animal Health Strategic Plan for Laboratories was held on January 13, 2023.
The Working Group brought together H. E. Hor Malin, Secretary of State at MAFF, Dr. Sorn San, Deputy Director of GDAHP, Dr. Tum Sothyra, Director of NAHPRI from the SEALAB project, Dr. Ren Theary, Deputy Director of NAHPRI, Dr. Hak Makara TA at FAO, Dr. Chea Bunna representing RUA, Mrs. Auerswald from IPC and the team from GIZ, partners with Mérieux Foundation.
The hybrid meeting combined in-person presentations for the Working Group members with international consultants, David Korcal and Barbara Martin, joining virtually from the United States. Both were members of the experts’ team who performed a 2-week WOAH assessment of the veterinary Laboratory System in September 2022. The objective of the meeting was to provide guidelines for the process of drafting a Strategic Plan for NAHPRI that will meet the requirements of MAFF, GDAHP and key stakeholders.
The initial objective is to create a draft that will be presented to partners and stakeholders for comments and revisions before presenting the final draft. The two international consultants will be assisted by two national consultants, Dr. Sorn San and Ms. Phauk Khun, Chief of the Cooperation Office, Department of Administration, Planning, Accounting and Cooperation at GDAHP to finalize the Strategic Plan and for future updates.
The benefits expected from implementing the strategy are:
The strategic goals, challenges and actions to be implemented include budgeting, QMS, LIMS, equipment, succession plan, incentives, biosafety and biosecurity plans.
The strategic goals will be discussed during a series of hybrid meetings bringing together GDAHP/NAHPRI, GIZ and the Mérieux Foundation with the consultants joining the meeting virtually. The first meeting will be held at NAHPRI on February 1, 2023 and will discuss LIMS implementation, followed by a meeting on February 15, 2023 to discuss QMS implementation, a meeting on March 21, 2023 to discuss an equipment plan, a meeting on March 21, 2023 to discuss a continuaty plan and finally a meeting on March 22, 2023 to discuss incentives. The participation of Dr. Sorn San, Dr. Tum Sothyra and laboratory technicians from units covering virology, microbiology, mycology and epidemiology, who have been trained to use LIMS, will help make sure that the draft prepared by the consultants is practical and is inline with the reality of the laboratory work at NAHPRI.
A workshop to discuss the draft with partners, stakeholders and consultants is planned from March 20-24, 2023 in Phnom Penh with a follow up workshop from April 24-28, 2023.
