The event was initiated by the partners whose collaboration has created a milestone in the Khammouane province: the Rhône Alpes Region, the Civil Hospices of Lyon, the University Claude Bernard Lyon 1 and Fondation Mérieux. Once again, this event helped to highlight the activities related to the hospital laboratory while providing continuous training for all staff. As in 2011, the participants were doctors and laboratory personnel from the Thakhek hospitals and the district of Khammouane, directors of provincial hospitals in neighboring provinces; WHO Laos and NCLE (National Center for Laboratory and Epidemiology). In total, approximately 60 people attended.
This innovative training in Laos fits into two regional perspectives: firstly, the autonomisation of the laboratory knowing that the technical laboratory team has been working for 6 months without ongoing support on site. Secondly, the launch of the provincial project of biology laboratories networking in other districts of Khammouane around the provincial laboratory of Thakhek.
Moreover, on a national scale, Laos strengthens its laboratories national programme with the support of WHO in order to promote and coordinate structure development and quality. The existence of a Post-graduate Diploma in Medical Biology was also recently validated by the University thanks to the work of Fondation Mérieux. This diploma will train future biologists in Laos.
This 2nd edition served several specific objectives:
- clinical and microbiology training
- interaction between clinicians and laboratory personnel
- introduction to networking of laboratory personnel
The programme included lectures, clinical cases, valorization of activities and laboratory results.
The hospital and its laboratory confirm year after year, and with the help of its partners, that it is on a promising development path for diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases.