External Quality Assurance
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Overview
Current Projects
The EQA Unit produces External Quality Assessment programmes for the NHLS and subscribing private laboratories in the disciplines of bacteriology (120 laboratories),tuberculosis microscopy (220 laboratories), tuberculosis culture (25 laboratories) and syphilisserology (220 laboratories). Management of EQA programmes involves technical preparationand quality control of material, documentation and shipping, evaluation and reporting oflaboratory responses. A teaching programme which participating laboratories may use as atraining resource accompanies the Bacteriology EQA programme. Results of laboratory performance are reported to appropriate NHLS management structures. The EQA unit hasassisted the Northern Branch of the NHLS with training visits to laboratories in preparationfor potential cholera outbreaks.
The unit also manages all aspects of a WHO grant-funded bacteriology EQA programme to65 national public health laboratories in the African Regional Office (AFRO) of the WorldHealth Organisation. The EQA Unit has played an active role in reporting on laboratorycapacity in the AFRO region, and has advised the WHO on implementation of a similar EQA programme in the EMRO region. Staff from the EQA Unit acted as technical advisors on asite visit to Tanzania and Zanzibar, and to a Heads of Laboratories Meeting in Harare.
The EQA Unit manages the National Stock Culture Collection, which is a national resourceresponsible for maintenance of microbiological cultures for use in quality control proceduresthroughout the NHLS. The old culture collection of the SAIMR has been extensively revised,new cultures from recognised culture collections have been purchased, and storage anddocumentation protocols implemented. This has been done with technical input from theWorld Federation of Culture Collections.
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Contact us |
Please direct any queries via one of the following:
e-mail: |
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Staff |
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Training and QA Activities |
| Training Visit to Tonga, Shongwe and Embuhleni laboratories in Mpumalanga province, 10-12 November 2004Site visit to Muhimbili Medical Centre, Dar Es Salaam, and Mnazimmoja Hospital, Zanzibar,Tanzania, as WHO technical advisors, September 27-October 5, 2004.
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Publications |
EQA Annual Reports
To see a copy of the EQA Annual Report for 2005, click here to view in a new window or to download the .pdf use right-click, "Save as..." for IE, and right-click, "Save Link As..." for Firefox.
International Meetings attended
Training course on Culture Collection Management in Rabat, Morocco. 3-7 May 2004 WorldFederation of Culture Collections WHO Meeting of Experts on Advocacy for National Public Health Laboratories, 3-5 December2003, Lyon France |
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