Thursday, May 19, 2022
5/19/2022
Through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), CDC-Malawi has funded capacity building collaborative agreements in Malawi. PEPFAR has improved quality testing through the introduction of Strengthening Laboratory Management towards Accreditation (SLMTA) in referral, central, and district laboratories. PEPFAR has built capacity for the national reference laboratory to develop dry tube test proficiency testing and quality control specimens. Currently, the immediate needs for Malawi are to: (1) strengthen and increase efficiency in turnaround time for specimen transport system and return of results; (2) operationalize clinical-lab interface to increase access to viral load results and its utilization for patient management; (3) strengthen mentoring for lab towards accreditation through the WHO-AFRO Stepwise Progress Towards Accreditation program (SLIPTA); (4) increase host country institutional capacity for evidence-based management of HIV lab program. The goals of ending the AIDS epidemic in Malawi by 2030 is within reach, provided there is continued expansion of HIV treatment programs that are underpinned by a robust and efficient laboratory program. With the rate of laboratory system strengthening not meeting the demands, quality, and efficiency towards epidemic control in Malawi, the University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB) is pleased to offer CDC a proposal for Accelerating Malawi’s PEPFAR Laboratory Logistics and Infrastructure for QualitY (AMPLIFY). As a prime CDC technical partner of successful laboratory strengthening programs in Nigeria and Kenya, UMB has demonstrated a “one stop shop” strategy that fast-tracks ability to institutionalize national model of laboratory quality improvement, enhance data use for efficiency and impact, implement large-scale health informatics, provide quality sample transport, optimized clinical-lab interface, and support data-driven laboratory accreditation. UMB has a credible track record of s upporting high quality and successful projects that are now sustainability operated by local indigenous organizations; in this application, we will target the Ministry of Health (MOH). Our approach will prioritize the epidemic intense in population-dense regions of Southern Malawi, in the “acceleration” districts of Blantyre, Mangochi, Zomba, Machinga, and Chikwawa; and south to south collaborations strategically utilizing successful regional laboratory networks to accelerate achievements and ensure long term sustainability.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
