Better Labs for Better Health - Second Partners’ Meeting, December 2016 Report (2017)

The Better Labs for Better Health initiative aims to help Member States (to date, primarily Kyrgyzstan, the Republic of Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) to meet their commitments under the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) to respond to health emergencies by strengthening laboratory services.

The 2nd Partners’ Meeting reviewed progress in these areas since the 1st Partners’ Meeting in June 2014. The mentoring project for implementation of laboratory quality management systems was presented, and various models of public health laboratory systems were presented and discussed.

The meeting also included a joint session with the European Tuberculosis Laboratory Initiative (ELI) to present the ELI and its tuberculosis laboratory maintenance plan. In addition, the meeting aimed to widen the initiative’s audience, identify best practice models, and provide a forum for countries working to strengthen their laboratory services.