In response to CDC Strengthening the Quality, Accessibility, and Sustainability of the National Health Laboratory System in the United Republic of Tanzania under PEPFAR, Management & Development for Health (MDH) will work with the GoT and all key stakeholders to strengthen quality, accessibility, and sustainability of the GoT’s six-tied laboratory system to monitor progress towards and achieve HIV epidemic control. MDH has 19-years’ experience working with the GoT and CDC/PEPFAR to support comprehensive and quality HIV prevention, care, and treatment services and Lab systems strengthening in Tanzania at both facility, community and national levels. MDH’s efforts will build and follow on achievements of the CDC-funded/MDH-implemented National Health Laboratory Services project (2018-2023) which increased access to HIV testing services, including HIV early infant diagnosis (HEID), resulted in 7 laboratories expanding capacity to conduct genomic sequencing including HIV drug resistance and pathogen identification, and assisted 65 labs reach international accreditation. MDH’s CDC-funded lab-strengthening activities have helped expand annual total access to HEID and VL testing services reaching 2.9 million tests and 430,000 tests for VL and EID, respectively. This expanded VL/EID services access to 1.5 million PLHIV including an estimated 40,000 KVPs in Tanzania.
Going forward, strategies are: Implement QMS, CQI, and other PT Activities to Ensure Reliable Laboratory Services at all NHLS Levels; Strengthen National Tiered Network of Public Health Laboratories; Strengthen Laboratory SCM through Improved Reporting, Monitoring, Forecasting, and Quantification; Improve Standardized Reporting, Quality, and Use of Laboratory Data; and Strengthen Laboratory Capacity to Prepare for and Respond to Disease Outbreaks.
MDH’s approach to achieve strategies and address the system’s remaining challenges will focus on: strengthening laboratory policy and guidelines to streamline lab processes and operations per local and international standards and address regular and outbreak diseases testing; improving lab practices through instituting QMS, IQC, EQA, and RTCQI at all levels; optimizing lab infrastructure to ensure space for testing, and reagents/consumable storage for safety, quality, reliability, and timely services; digitizing lab data systems to reduce TAT and to promote data sharing for clinical and public health decision making; Stabilizing and streamlining lab supply chain to promote cost efficiency and eliminate shortages/wastages; optimizing laboratory equipment use to increase testing result accuracy and lower repair costs; promoting person/client-centered lab practices; and building human resources to ensure skilled staff deliver quality lab services at all levels.
Strategies and activities will be implemented collaboratively across all levels of the lab network including data sharing and joint decision making to promote ownership/leadership of project activities at MoH, PORALG, and regional and council levels. MDH technical staff will be matched/assigned to MoH and PORALG corresponding laboratory technical areas (HIV/TB, RTCQI, Quality/accreditation, supply chain). Matched/assigned staff will forge an implementation partnership with counterparts at MoH, PORALG, R/CHMTs and IPs for joint planning, implementation, supervising, KPIs monitoring, and evaluating project outcomes. The project will capitalize on MDH and GoT investments in digital platforms to enhance program implementation and monitoring, including using Zoom and ECHO for capacity building, follow-up, monitoring, success stories, and experience sharing. Social media platforms and mobile messaging will be used for rapid dissemination of information, and GoT’s CTC2/3, DHIS2, and LIS will be used for laboratory and testing data analysis and visualization.
