WHO sent a delegation of laboratory specialists to assess and support 3 COVID-19 testing laboratories in southern Kyrgyzstan. The WHO-led visits helped these laboratories in the cities of Batken, Jalal-Abad and Osh to become integrated into the national COVID-19 laboratory testing network, which is crucial to the country’s COVID-19 response.
Since March 2020, WHO has emphasized the importance of diagnostic testing as part of a comprehensive strategy to control COVID-19. Following a scaling-up of new testing facilities in Kyrgyzstan, WHO collaborated with the Ministry of Health to conduct baseline assessments on preparedness and response measures, based on the situation in the country.
The newly established subnational laboratories were technically assessed using the WHO Laboratory Assessment Tool (WHO LAT). Head of Osh City Laboratory, Zarina Bakirova, reflected that having an external gap analysis of the laboratory “highlighted areas for improvement, while also encouraging growth and the drive towards better practices”.
Preventing local bottlenecks
Process flow reviews and close interactions with laboratory staff provided valuable insights from the field, while WHO experts conducted training on quality management systems (QMS) and biosafety procedures.
“Batken, is a small but fast developing region in Kyrgyzstan,” explains Zhakypanov Zhanyshbek, a laboratory specialist working at the COVID-19 Testing Unit in Batken. “Because we are far from the capital city here, we don’t have the opportunity to receive training, and PCR [polymerase chain reaction] testing is a new method in our laboratory. However, with support from WHO and the Ministry of Health, we are ready to develop and implement QMS and biosafety measures step by step.”
By using the WHO LAT, strong baseline assessments could be made to identify the needs of regional laboratories. These will inform future plans on how to address local bottlenecks and strengthen response preparedness throughout the country.