Veterinary Laboratory Assessment at Provincial Livestock & Fisheries section with WHO tool

From July 28 to 30, a Veterinary Laboratory Assessment was carried out at the Provincial Livestock & Fisheries section of Savannakhet Veterinary Laboratory, using the WHO assessment tool.

This evaluation was organized to complete the Savannakhet Veterinary Laboratory assessment, following the Luang Prabang veterinary assessment, in order to further finalize the SEALAB Work Plan which will be submitted to the National Center for Laboratory and Epidemiology (NCLE) and National Animal Health Laboratory (NAHL) for endorsement before kick-off.

The following participants were present during the assessment:

• Mr. Khamseng Sorphabmixay, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Forestry
• Ms. Olavanh Samathmanivong, Chief of Savannakhet Province Livestock and Fisheries Section
• Ms. Thiphaphone Thamavong, Laboratory Technician, Savannakhet Provincial Livestock and Fisheries Section
• Ms. Namfonh Vorasane, Vet Lab. Technician, Savannakhet Provincial Livestock and Fisheries Section
• Ms. Khamma Nammounty, Chief of Provincial Vet. Lab, Savannakhet Province Livestock and Fisheries Section
• Mr. Phonesavanh Phomasone, Vet Lab. Technician, Savannakhet Province Livestock and Fisheries Section
• Mr. Bounleuam Sihachack, Chief of Veterinary Unit, Livestock and Fisheries Section
• Ms. Khamphok Phithacthep, Parasitologist, NAHL
• Mr. Khaophone Saphangthong, AMR for CAMN4 Technician at NAHL
• Mr. Thenkham Haraixay, SEALAB project manager, Mérieux Foundation
• Mr. Boualapha Chanthilath, QWArS project manager, Mérieux Foundation

After introducing all the participants, Mr. Thenkham Haraixay, the SEALAB Project Manager, presented the objective of the mission and then handed over to Mr. Boualapha Chanthilath, the QWArS Project Manager, to present the WHO LAT.

Mr. Boualapha Chanthilath then assessed the Veterinary Laboratory using the LAT spreadsheet,  using documents provided by the Veterinary Laboratory team, such as:

• Activities report of LFS in 2020 and 2021 Work Plan
• Norms on fee and service rate 2021 issued by President to Lao PDR
• Animal disease outbreak investigation form
• Workshop report on Extended District and Provincial Work Development Plan to be integrated into Socio-Economic Development plan held on June 24-26, 2021
• Agreement on appointment of an African Swine Fever Control Committee on July 03, 2019
• Training Manual on the Basic Techniques for the Parasitological Examination
• MAF minister’s decree on Veterinary Clinics, Pharmacies and Veterinary Equipment management
• Annual KPI conducted by chief of unit
• Certificate of Training on Awareness of Melioidosis
• Certificate of Training on FMD Control
• Hands-on training on AMR and sample collection

Mr. Khamseng Sorphabmixay, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, participated in the closing day to acknowledge the assessment results and expressed his thanks to the SEALAB team for having chosen Savannakhet Veterinary Laboratory as a targeted province aiming at improving QMS and LIMS to enable to reach national standards and ISO 17025 in the future.