CDC helps Vietnam Laboratories prepare for international accreditation

David Nelson, CDC Vietnam Deputy Director and Vice Minister of Health Nguyen thi Xuyen giving certificates for SLMTA.

With financial support from PEPFAR, twelve laboratories in Vietnam celebrated the successful completion of a rigorous and interactive one-year management training program at a graduation ceremony held in Hanoi on August 29, 2013. With technical collaboration from CDC, the Ministry of Health Vietnam Administration for Medical Services (VAMS) implemented the “Strengthening Laboratory Management Toward Accreditation” program (SLMTA) for the first time in Vietnam. The success of the SLMTA program in improving laboratory performance led VAMS and CDC to rapidly scale-up the program nationally, which will result in more timely and reliable testing for diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis, and influenza.

“After over a year of implementing SLMTA in Vietnam, we’ve seen many improvements made that meet the real needs of the laboratories. All twelve laboratories showed improvements at different levels, shortened the time patients wait for their test results and improved the entire laboratory testing process,” said Vice Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Xuyen at the graduation ceremony.

SLMTA is an international laboratory improvement program developed jointly by CDC and the World Health Organization, with technical input from the American Society for Clinical Pathology. The SLMTA program is unique in that, instead of using a ‘pass’ or ‘fail’ system, the program is divided into tiers and the goal is for the lab to improve from where they are and climb the steps toward accreditation. It uses internationally accepted standards adapted to the local environment and provides a “learn by doing” curriculum with hands-on training activities and regular on-site mentorship.

“A high quality laboratory system is the cornerstone of a strong and sustainable national health system. Yet only a small percentage of the nearly one thousand laboratories in Vietnam are accredited to international standards,” said CDC Country Director Michelle McConnell. “The SLMTA program empowers healthcare professionals to improve their laboratories. We are beginning the second year of the program and soon, the number of laboratories meeting international standards will increase dramatically.”

The second cadre of SLMTA trainers recently completed two intense weeks of training in Nghe An province. Twenty-four laboratory professionals across the country participated in a training of the trainers and will now begin a full year of onsite mentorship and training.