Strengthening laboratories in the Eastern Mediterranean region together with the World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (WHO EMRO)

Title: 2021 activities for laboratory strengthening in the WHO EMRO region

Code: D21-08

Date: June - December 2021

Location: The Netherlands/online

Client: World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean

Type of services:

• Facilitate the development of national laboratory policies in Morocco and Tunisia.
• Conduct an Inter Action Review of Pakistan’s national laboratory system response to COVID-19.
• Develop the materials for a workshop to introduce the WHO Laboratory Biosafety Manual, 4th edition, provide 6 virtual workshops, and develop the facilitator guide.
  

Report(s): 

[5 Oct 2021] Last week the World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (WHO EMRO) successfully held the first iteration of a new course: the WHO Laboratory Biosafety Manual 4th edition (2020) and the risk-based approach to laboratory biosafety.

From 27 to 30 September 2021, seven laboratory experts, biosafety officers and Ministry of Health officials from Jordan participated in this course, which introduces the risk-based approach to laboratory biosafety recommended in the new WHO Laboratory Biosafety Manual. This concept is more relevant, economically feasible and sustainable compared to the former prescriptive approach. Through practical exercises, participants learned how to conduct a risk assessment in their own laboratories and devise a risk control strategy using the WHO Laboratory Biosafety Manual and its associated monographs. DATOS has developed and provides this Zoom-based course on behalf of WHO EMRO.

WHO EMRO has reached out to its Member States to take part in this highly interactive course before the start of the new year. 

Source: DATOS LinkedIn Blog.

[25 Oct 2021] Three successful courses on the new WHO Laboratory Biosafety Manual and counting…

Over the past two weeks DATOS has provided two additional courses on the new WHO Laboratory Biosafety Manual 4th edition (2020) and the risk-based approach to biosafety on behalf of the World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (WHO EMRO).

Participants from the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Oman, Bahrain and Qatar participated in these online interactive courses. The participants are responsible for laboratory quality, biosafety and biosecurity in their national-level institutes (Ministry of Health Laboratory Directorates, National Institutes of Health, National Public Health Laboratories). They will be able to make a significant impact on the transition to a risk-based approach to biosafety in their countries.

WHO EMRO has reached out to its Member States to take part in more iterations of the course in the near future.

Source: DATOS LinkedIn Blog.

[14 Dec 2021] Between September and November 2021, DATOS experts Tjeerd Datema and Dorien Faber delivered six iterations of a course on the WHO Laboratory Biosafety Manual 4th Edition (2020) and the risk-based approach to laboratory biosafety (one in French).

In total, 49 laboratory experts, biosafety officers and Ministry of Health officials from 11 WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region member states participated in the course. Overall, the course was valued by the participants with a score of 9.1 on a scale of 1 (very poor) to 10 (excellent). The course introduces the risk-based approach to laboratory biosafety recommended in the new WHO Laboratory Biosafety Manual. This concept is more relevant, economically feasible and sustainable compared to the former prescriptive approach.

DATOS designed, developed and provided this course on behalf of WHO EMRO and in consultation with WHO headquarters, Geneva. Funding support came from the European Commission’s Foreign Policy Instrument.

In 2022, WHO EMRO plans to transform this course into a training of trainers (ToT) to maximize the number of laboratory professionals that can be trained. WHO EMRO aims to roll-out the ToT in member states to ensure that laboratory professionals at all levels of the laboratory network are able to implement the risk-based approach to laboratory biosafety.

Source: DATOS LinkedIn Blog.

Want to know more? Contact us!