Since its launch in 2018, the project has led to improvements in the quality of diagnosis at the provincial laboratory and the district laboratories in Bolikhamxay. It has also supported and enhanced laboratory capacities at the provincial hospital in Vientiane, and improved the role played by the Bolikhamxay provincial laboratory within the national network. The BoliLab project also played an important role in the fight against Covid-19, with technical recommendations for SARS-CoV-2 testing being given in the provincial hospitals in Khammouane, Bolikhamxay, and in the province of Vientiane.
The final project appraisal was carried out to measure the effects of reinforcing the capacities of health services and revealed an overall increase in quality of over 30%, and more than 40% in biosafety.
Bolikhamxay provincial laboratory assessment results since 2018
Globally, the provincial hospitals benefited from full and complementary support as part of a multidisciplinary approach, allowing them to provide local populations with better services. As for the laboratories in the three provinces (Bolikhamxay, Vientiane et Khammouane), the Mérieux Foundation provided technical support allowing them to acquire a certain amount of autonomy and to ensure they have the basic structure to provide high-quality results.
The project has reached the end of its cycle. and a new cycle is due to start in 2023 with the continuation of activities in the three hospitals. For this next period, priority should be given to newly available human resources and to supervising laboratory managers. Another aspect that needs further development is the training of laboratory managers and doctors to read and interpret results. Failure to interpret laboratory results correctly is a critical factor in medical care. Establishing a close working partnership between health professionals is essential for patient recovery. To go one step further, this partnership should aim to provide global healthcare at a provincial level.
About the BoliLab project
The BoliLab project came about following the construction of the new provincial hospital in Bolikhamxay, which was built with the financial support of LuxDev and opened in July 2018. In close cooperation with the provincial department of health and the NCLE (National Center for Laboratory and Epidemiology), the project is coordinated by the Laos office at the Mérieux Foundation and supported by a group of experts at the Foundation’s head office.
The overall objective of the project has been to reinforce the capacities of health services in the province of Bolikhamxay.
The following specific initial objectives were identified:
- Reinforce the quality of diagnostic services at the provincial laboratory in Bolikhamxay;
- Reinforce the quality of laboratory diagnosis in the province of Bolikhamxay;
- Integrate the provincial laboratory in Bolikhamxay into the national laboratory network.
The specific objectives of the project extensions aimed essentially to:
- Propose an interprovincial program for the strengthening of laboratory staff capacities;
- Support the refurbishment and creation of new laboratories in the provinces.