By Kemo Cham
Some 30 scientists have begun training as laboratory technicians as part of efforts to boost Sierra Leone’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The training, which is taking place at the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences (COMAHS) New England Campus, is sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Officials from the WHO Country Office say the participants were drawn from various universities across the country, including the University of Sierra Leone, Njala University and University of Makeni. They say the 10-day long training, which commenced on Tuesday, involved classroom lectures and hands-on practical experience in the field.
The WHO said the move is part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the health sector to enable it respond to Covid-19 and to strengthen the country’s healthcare system to meet its post-Covid-19 needs.
The WHO is currently leading efforts by the Ministry of Health to establish three additional laboratories outside Freetown, bringing the total to eight nationwide.
Increasing the laboratory capacity is also part of efforts to double daily testing for Covid, as was announced by the government last week.
At the moment, Sierra Leone does about 400 tests per day. The plan is to double it, said Dr Raoul Emeric Guetiya Wadoum, an international consultant hired by the WHO to lead the training effort.
Dr Wadoum told Politico that one of the key mandates of the UN health agency is to strength the health system of member countries, noting that human resources is a crucial aspect of that.
He added that the WHO had identified that laboratory services had been a major challenge for Sierra Leone, especially in terms of human resources, hence the intervention.
All those participating in the training are graduate scientists, he pointed out.
“The aim is to improve the lab capacity not just for the Covid-19 response but also after the Covid pandemic,” he said.
Dr Wadoum said by increasing the number of lab technicians they also hoped to cut down on the turnaround time in testing covid-19 samples, which currently leaves laboratory technicians overwhelmed, with the risk of making errors.
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