Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, WHO has supported public health laboratories in North Macedonia, building their capacity and preparedness to detect and respond to health threats. Efficient laboratory systems mean successful detection, characterization and tracking of disease transmission. This involves training laboratory specialists, introducing and implementing quality standards, and providing up-to-date equipment and supplies.
“The COVID-19 pandemic made it hard for health care systems across the world to cope. Finding out what caused the disease was essential to prevent, detect and diagnose it. Public health laboratories played a crucial role in this,” said Dr Anne Johansen, WHO Special Representative to North Macedonia.
Skilled laboratory staff
WHO led training sessions to improve the skills of laboratory staff, established a mentoring programme, and supported laboratory biosafety and risk assessments. WHO also supported genetic characterization through the development of a Genetic Sequencing Strategy as a part of North Macedonia’s National Testing Strategy.
“Numerous trainings for health workers and laboratory experts were organized to advance and renew existing knowledge, but also to acquire new knowledge and skills,” said Dr Golubinka Boshevska, Head of the Laboratory for Virology within the Institute of Public Health in North Macedonia.
Regulatory mechanisms
Licensing mechanisms for medical laboratories, based on International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards, help to strengthen their quality by regulating the number of laboratories in a certain area, ensuring the collection of structured and complete information, enforcing quality and biosafety standards, clarifying responsibilities, and exercising control over the activities of licensees to ensure the fulfilment of international obligations.
“To ensure that every laboratory is functioning at the highest standard of quality, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms must be in place at national and global levels to assess the quality of performance, including mechanisms such as certification, licensing and accreditation, according to international or national standards,” noted Dr Johansen. “This is why WHO has supported the process of establishing licensing mechanisms for designating national reference laboratories in the country.”
Equipment and supplies
WHO provided diagnostic instruments, testing reagents for sequencing and other supplies to strengthen laboratories’ testing capacities and bolster the country’s efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19.
"The pandemic brought about an increased demand for testing. In the beginning, our institution was the only one conducting COVID-19 testing, and we could test about 400 samples per day, but during the pandemic we increased our capacity and today we can test 2000 samples per day,” said Dr Shaban Memeti, Director of the Institute of Public Health.
Public health network
WHO also supported the process of setting up a custom-made Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) to strengthen data management at the microbiology laboratories within the Institute of Public Health and regional public health centres.
“Sharing the data with public health authorities in real-time and conducting analysis quickly are crucial for timely implementation of the measures for controlling epidemics and pandemics,” said Dr Boshevska. “Now we are able to do this.”
Better Labs for Better Health
Well-functioning, sustainable laboratory services, operating according to international standards and safety principles, are essential for strengthening health systems and improving public health. Through its Better Labs for Better Health initiative, and through partnerships with USAID and the European Union, WHO aims to contribute to national efforts to improve the quality of laboratory services in countries across the WHO European Region.