SEALAB Action-Plan on the track in Cambodia

Lab System, Quality Management System and Data Management System have been completed for SEALAB Cambodian component. IQLS and NRL, the Consortium partners, have already issued their analytic reports highlighting the main gaps.

The Action Plan must reflect recommendations from assessments and the country priorities with a One Health approach. Several meetings bringing together the Mérieux Foundation and institutional partners, BMLS and GDAHP, were needed to translate this review in a realistic and practical program of trainings or workshops, in a pandemic context that impairs a smooth organization.
Today, we organized the ultimate online consultation with the Head of laboratory in the five participating hospitals, with BMLS and with the virtual support of Sandy Walker and François Lamoury from NRL, to finalize the EQA program to be implemented in Cambodia.

The next step, is to present this SEALAB Action-Plan to the Human and Animal Health Authorities, to the main stakeholders and to the hospitals where the activities will be conducted. Unfortunately, the dramatic raise of positive COVID-19 testing this last month has resulted in severe restrictions for gathering people and it appears unrealistic to plan a workshop before Khmer New Year celebration (15 April) as previously scheduled. However presenting and explaining the Action-Plan in details is critical to get the support of all people involved, in one way or another, in the project activities.

Consequently, the workshop is rescheduled at the end of April, hoping that restrictions will be released; otherwise, several presentation meetings (limited to 10 participants as stated by the Government rules) will be organized in the capital and in the selected hospitals. The Mérieux, Foundation constantly tries to find innovative solutions to operate in this changing environment and to maintain effectiveness of the SEALAB project implementation.