Objectives:

• Strengthening the overall approach to integrated disease surveillance and response. Improving the quality of care for epidemic-prone diseases.
• Boosting public health and clinical laboratory services (focusing amongst others on laboratory quality management systems).
• Developing a strong and gender-balanced health workforce and supporting management capacities and collaboration across the different levels of the health system.

Context:

Liberia still struggles to leave behind the devastating effects of the civil war and the 2014-2016 Ebola crisis. As a state party to the International Health Regulations , Liberia is obliged to build its capacities to detect, prevent and respond to health risks. In the aftermath of the Ebola outbreak, a strong focus was given to the development of the laboratory health system . In recent years, the health sector made significant and ambitious planning efforts to further develop its capacities. In this context, Germany supports the health sector with financial and technical assistance. The focus lies on Health System Strengthening (HSS) and Epidemic Prevention, thereby responding to the core priorities of the Government of Liberia formulated in the Investment Plan for Building a Resilient Health System .

Geographically the Programme focuses on the Counties in the Southeast of Liberia (Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Sinoe, River Gee and Maryland) with an estimated population of 600,000. The targeted facilities are the county hospital laboratories that the previous TC project (PEGGS) focused on and which the HSSEP project continues to work with, namely:

• FJ Grant Hospital located in Greenville in County Sinoe.
• JJ Dossen Hospital located in Harper in County Maryland.
• Fish Town Hospital located in Fish Town in County River Gee.
• Martha Tubman Memorial Hospital located in Zwedru in County Grand Gedeh.
• Rally Time Hospital located in Grand Cess in County Grand Kru.

Content:

• Support the laboratories to improve their overall Laboratory Quality Management System (LQMS).
• Conduct laboratory assessments at the different county hospital laboratories following the Stepwise Laboratory Quality Improvement Process Towards Accreditation (SLIPTA), feed these findings into a quality improvement plan for each laboratory and conduct several Trainings / Workshops on LQMS with selected staff from the different county hospital laboratories and health facilities.
• Help to prepare the implementation of quality management of the laboratory processes in areas relevant to a SLIPTA audit.
• Work with the facility staff on customization/ development of documents and templates, empowering laboratory teams on how to identify benchmarks, and how to be able reach those standards, helping lab staff to translate their quality management monitoring demands into routine laboratory testing as evidenced by documents and records.
• Implement at least one internal audit of each Lab in conjunction with GIZ Lab Technical Advisers (TAs), involving our expert team at least virtually.
• Quality improvement plan for each laboratory, followed by adapted trainings workshops providing current knowledge on LQMS, biosafety, equipment management control and calibration, stock management, staff/training management, cold chain management, etc.
• Conduct assessments of the current compliance of the laboratories with SLIPTA, assist in the development of realistic and practical quality improvement plans for each laboratory and provide tailored training in selected areas in order to support the implementation of the quality improvement plans

Type of services provided

Literature review concerning laboratory QMS, based on existing specific overviews, assessment reports and manuals on county hospital laboratories. Support laboratories to improve their LQMS. Five laboratory assessment reports and quality improvement plans. Identified learning objectives and high-level outlines for the courses to be delivered. Conduct trainings, workshops on LQMS and other themes. Capacity building of personnel. Help in the implementation of quality management of laboratories in areas relevant to a SLIPTA audit. Adapt and develop work plans, key documents (checklists, templates for improvement plans, quality control charts, draft overview of course curricula and testing/evaluation materials) and other activities relating to the mission. Help in the implementation of at least one internal laboratory audit. Conduct assessments of the current compliance of the laboratories with SLIPTA. Establish cooperation and cooperate with relevant actors and integrate local partners in the project. Conduct a (virtual) planning workshop with key stakeholders. Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of the project results. Regular exchange between the different stakeholders and make complementary approach. Work in close concertation and collaboration with the GIZ team to improve laboratory services.