During a medical biology training workshop in Benin.
From February 24 to 28 and March 3 to 7, 2025, DED organized continuing training workshops in the south and north of the country, bringing together senior technicians, engineers, and laboratory quality managers to hone their skills and improve the quality of diagnostics in Benin’s laboratories.
Involving interactive sessions, practical work, and case studies, the training provided participants with essential knowledge about how to implement verification and validation processes for diagnostic methods in order to improve the reliability and accuracy of results provided by laboratories, in line with the requirements of international standards such as ISO 15189.
Participants were trained in the key concepts of these processes, statistical tools, method acceptability criteria, non-conformity management, and writing verification reports.
The Department of Hospital Medicine and Diagnostic Exploration (DGMHED) was created in 2022 as part of the reforms undertaken by the government to improve the quality of healthcare services. This entity, made up of three technical departments, including the Diagnostic Exploration Department (DED), supervises laboratories and implements capacity-building programs.
Audits conducted in 2023 highlighted difficulties in applying diagnostic methods, which is why this course was organized to improve diagnostic quality over the long term.
The workshop helped to strengthen and standardize the skills of laboratory technicians and engineers across the country in implementing processes to verify and validate methods in their respective laboratories.