As part of the RESAOLAB network of West African Laboratories, Togo takes part in training, laboratory supervision, quality assurance and external quality assessment initiatives. The country also hosts training sessions taught by RESAOLAB trainers.
RESAOLAB initiatives in Togo as of January 2017
Within the scope of the RESAOLAB project, the Directorate of Pharmacy, Medicine and Laboratories, the Laboratory Directorate’s Center of External Quality Assessment and the Center for Continuous Training were all inaugurated in Lomé on February 17, 2017. Attending the inauguration ceremony were RESAOLAB partners as well as Professor Moustapha Mijiyawa, the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, and Dr. Monique Dorkenoo, RESAOLAB coordinator and her team, and leading figures in clinical biology in Togo.
The new Directorate contributes to the implementation of laboratory supervision policy and the coordination of clinical biology laboratories in Togo. It also promotes quality control of analyses and training for lab personnel as needed. A section of the new building has been designed for external quality assessment and continuous training of clinical biology lab technicians. A classroom, a multimedia room and two practical workrooms are available for their use.
Fondation Mérieux brought its expertise for the production of the building and the worksite supervision (design, technical specifications, request for proposals), in association with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. In addition, RESAOLAB provided support for the improvement of initial training conditions in Togo through the renovation of practical workrooms within the Faculty of Health Science and the School for Higher Education in Biology and Food Techniques, both institutions being part of the University of Lomé.
Initial and continuous training of laboratory personnel has been a strong focus since Togo became a RESAOLAB member in 2013. To date, 30 tutors in laboratory quality management have been trained and 4 scholarships attributed for a degree in biology (1), quality management (2) and biomedical maintenance (1).
Togo is one of the countries that have received scholarships for the Bachelor in Applied Medical Biology (BAMS) course held in Mali. Six Togolese lab technicians have been trained to date.
Chef de Division des laboratoires