Laboratory technicians from the Rwanda Biomedical Centre are receiving training in the latest technologies, which will be valuable in responding to drug resistance in certain diseases. These training sessions are part of capacity-building efforts associated with a groundbreaking project to construct a state-of-the-art National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS) facility with high containment capabilities, and to strengthen the quality and capacity of diagnostic services at the primary care level.
The project is a part of Team Europe's initiative, with the European Union (EU) collaborating with the European Investment Bank (EIB) and Rwanda’s Ministry of Health to support the construction of the NHLS Facility through a loan and grant financing package worth approximately EUR 25 million. Under the same project, the EU has partnered with the World Health Organization to provide technical assistance and capacity-building for staff from the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC).
Michela Tomasella, the Head of Cooperation of the European Union in Rwanda, stated: "The EU in Rwanda and Team Europe are proud to support the National Health Lab Services project, and we are pleased to see the successful completion of the initial training sessions for National Lab staff.
"We welcome the Government of Rwanda's vision for the future laboratory to become a WHO reference laboratory for the region and a global collaboration center for advanced research, outbreak investigations, and international training."
While the NHLS is expected to revolutionize laboratory service delivery across the country, Dr. Isabelle Mukagatare, Head of Biomedical Services at the Rwanda Biomedical Centre, stated: "We view this training as a significant opportunity to empower our laboratory staff once the NHLS is completed, as well as to strengthen and equip our sub-national laboratory services with the necessary skills and knowledge to assume tasks that were previously referred to the national level."
To date, three cohorts of laboratory technicians have completed their training in areas such as microbiology, clinical sample collection, management, processing, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and antimicrobial resistance surveillance at the University Teaching Hospital of Butare (CHUB) in Huye District. Capacity-building efforts under the project are expected to expand to cover areas such as biosafety and biosecurity.
According to WHO, the objective of the training is to decentralize the quality of laboratory tests and improve antimicrobial resistance monitoring and surveillance at the subnational level.
Dr. Lyndah Makayoto from WHO Rwanda said: "Antibiotics are becoming less effective in treating diseases, so lab technicians need skills to test diseases and confirm the efficacy of antibiotics. Antimicrobial resistance surveillance will be conducted in all labs nationwide to identify antibiotics that are no longer effective."
The National Health Laboratory Services project was conceived as one way to address infectious outbreaks, she added.
The lab technicians stated that the training expanded their horizons in terms of standard practices and new skills.
"We have also conducted tests to ensure that the results are standardized in line with international practices. Adhering to standards will enable us to address severe diseases that have developed resistance to drugs," said Thadee Bwanakweli, the training coordinator.
"We have encountered new equipment, tools, and techniques that we had not previously used. During this training, we have been able to use them, and that will make a difference in our daily lab work," noted Marie Nyiragasigwa, a lab technician at Rwanda Military Hospital.
"As we return to our workplaces, we will also train our colleagues on how to use these new lab techniques and equipment to provide reliable lab services for all," said Jean Baptiste Mugema, a lab technician at the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK).