NRL quality assurance review for COVID-19 testing in Cambodia

The Bureau of Medical Laboratory Services, which is in charge of SEALAB implementation in Cambodia, held a meeting with NRL to discuss lessons learned and achievements in the fight against COVID-19.

NRL, a non-profit scientific organization that supports the quality of testing for infectious diseases, gathered information from the laboratories currently performing COVID-19 testing in the country.

Meeting participants discussed current testing and quality assurance (QA) practices, any challenges they may be facing, and ways for NRL to provide support, through SEALAB, to laboratories. The aim is to ensure the quality of COVID-19 testing without duplicating other ongoing activities in Cambodia.

Chaired by Dr Ly Sovann, Director of CDC at the Ministry of Health, meeting participants included in-country partners from many organizations: BMLS, laboratories performing or potentially performing COVID-19 testing (Institut Pasteur Cambodia, Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratory /University of Health Sciences, Siem Reap and Battambong), DFAT (Australian Embassy in Cambodia), World Health Organization Cambodia Country Office, the Mérieux Foundation, IQLS and Diagnostic Microbiology Development Program (DMDP).

The SEALAB project aims to strengthen the national health system in Cambodia in order to increase the capacity to respond to infectious diseases that potentially pose epidemic and zoonotic risks.

​