Strengthening Laboratory Services in Kyrgyzstan
GIZ
Updated 26 September 2016
The Better-Labs-for-Better-Health initiative to improve the quality of laboratory services was welcomed by the Ministry of Health of Kyrgyzstan, as well as partners, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Central Asian Regional Office (CAR), the KfW Development Bank (Germany) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). The Ministry of Health provided a formal letter of commitment to the WHO Regional Director for Europe.
On 8 October 2014 the Ministry of Health formally established the National Laboratory Working Group and launched activities with the WHO Country Office, Kyrgyzstan and WHO/Europe. Activities began in late 2014 – supported by GiZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, the German Federal Enterprise for International Cooperation). They take into account existing strategies and health plans, as well as an assessment of public health laboratories conducted by CDC CAR between July and September 2014. The activities include:
- 4 workshops in 2014 and 2015 for the development of a national health laboratory policy
- 1 workshop in 2015 for the development of a strategic plan
- Presentation of the consolidated national laboratory policy and strategic plan to stakeholders during a policy consultation convened by the Ministry of Health in March 2016, led by the Coordination Laboratory Council of Kyrgyzstan
- Approval in May 2016 by the Ministry of Health of the first National Laboratory Policy and Strategic Plan under Order No. 347, which includes provisions for the approval of the National Laboratory Policy and Strategic Plan, and a mandate for the Coordination Laboratory Council to develop a draft resolution on the development of laboratory services in Kyrgyzstan until 2025
- Development of a Program and Strategy for Development of Laboratory Service of Health Care System of the Kyrgyz Republic (2017-2025), which provides a roadmap for the implementation of the National Laboratory Policy and Strategic Plan
- Development of a Project Proposal on Licensing, Certification and Accreditation, which addresses the most urgent needs among the identified areas in the National Laboratory Policy and Strategic Plan, and aims to improve the quality of laboratories in the private and public sector of Kyrgyzstan
- An assessment of national teaching curricula for laboratory staff
- A proposal for upgrading in-country training in modern laboratory techniques
- Since 2016 two mentoring missions to the Bacteriology laboratory of the Center of Quarantine and Especially Dangerous Infections (CQEDI), Department of Disease Prevention and State Sanitary Epidemiological Surveillance of the Ministry of Health, and the Clinical-Diagnostic Laboratory, Bishkek, to support the laboratories with the implementation of quality management systems. This support provides a good basis for future accreditation under ISO 15189.
