Guinea

Improving diagnostics and surveillance

The Mérieux Foundation is supporting Guinea in strengthening its diagnostic capacity, particularly through nationwide initiatives.

Guinea has been a member of the West African Network of Biomedical Analysis Laboratories (RESAOLAB) since 2013, and takes part every year in the network’s regional and national activities to strengthen governance, support training, improve quality management, and maintain surveillance. This project led to the creation of the National Laboratories Directorate (DNL) and the Continuing Training Center for Laboratory Technicians, which opened in 2018 in Conakry.

Our intervention also involves strengthening Guinea’s laboratory system by providing technical assistance, financed by the Global Fund, to DNL to set up external quality assessment for its tuberculosis programs and support laboratory-based AMR surveillance.

Taking an innovative approach, the Foundation is also developing LabBook Lite, a mobile app designed with local teams to improve the collection and management of laboratory data in the field.

Advancing public health

The Mérieux Foundation supports applied research and training to strengthen Guinea’s healthcare system for the long term. During the Covid-19 pandemic, it took part in the NOSO-COR project, a prospective study conducted in several countries to document nosocomial transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

In Guinea, this project was implemented with the National Institute of Public Health and the University Hospital of Conakry, contributing to a better understanding of infection prevention and control practices in hospitals.