Onsite training on Laboratory Quality Management System at the Centre of Infectiology Lao Christophe Mérieux (CILM)

From January 31 to March 24, 2023 (54 days), CILM accepted five government laboratory staff from three provinces, including: two staff from Vientiane Hospital Laboratory, two staff from Khammoun Hospital Laboratory, and one staff from Oudomxay Hospital Laboratory.

The scope of training is based on the National Laboratory Quality Standard (2018). This standard includes ten standards such as: 1-Organization, 2-Personnel, 3-Equipment, 4-External Services, 5-Process Control, 6-Documentation, 7-Nonconformities, 8-Internal Audits, 9-Continual Quality Improvement, and 10-Customer Focus.

The objective of training is to put the ten standards into real-world practice, ensuring the participants know how to implement each indicator of each standard when they go back to their laboratories. And to the consult for their road map to accreditation of ISO 15189 and ISO 15190.

After the training, each staff member had to choose two standards and prepare a PPT on how to implement those two standards, including challenges and suggestions to improve the challenges.
On March 23, 2023, CILM organized a conclusion meeting to open the stage to those five interns to present their topics, which was chaired by the director adjoint from CDCD, Dr. Sisavath Southaniraxay, the director adjoint from NCLE, Dr. Bouaphanh Khamphaphongphane, and CILM’s Scientific Director, Dr. Phimpha Paboriboune. In addition, the head of the provincial hospital participated in the online meeting, as did Mrs. Somphit Homsombat from Khammoun, Dr. Khampiew Chitthavong from Vientiane, and Dr. Phanthamith Piyadeth from Odomxay province, as well as the representative from WHO, Dr. Sonesavanh Phimmasine. At the end of the meeting, CILM offered certificates to interns. The participants return to their places with a road map of activities on the lab quality management system.