AFR/RC58/R2 2 September 2008 Fifty-eighth session ORIGINAL: ENGLISH Yaounde, Republic of Cameroon, 1–5 September 2008 RESOLUTION STRENGTHENING PUBLIC HEALTH LABORATORIES IN THE WHO AFRICAN REGION: A CRITICAL NEED FOR DISEASE CONTROL (document AFR/RC58/6) The Regional Committee, Aware of the crucial role that laboratories play in disease prevention, control, alert and response to epidemics and health research; Acknowledging the important role of laboratories in Integrated Disease Surveillance and implementation of the International Health Regulations; Concerned about the frequent occurrence of outbreaks in the Region that are not immediately detected and responded to due to inadequate laboratory capacities; Recognizing the weak organizational, financial and human resource capacity and low investment in laboratory services; Concerned about the unclear oversight arrangement and the role of laboratory services within the national health systems in some Member States; Cognizant of the need for Member States to ensure availability of quality laboratory services; Acknowledging the need for national laboratory policies to guide the development and proper functioning of national laboratory networks in Member States; 1. ENDORSES the report of the Regional Director on strengthening public health laboratories in the WHO African Region; 2. URGES Member States: (a) to develop or strengthen comprehensive national laboratory policies that should focus on laboratory functions, organization, structures, networking, coordination, technologies, maintenance, biosafety, biosecurity and quality management; (b) to ensure adequate funding for public health laboratory services from all available government budgetary means; AFR/RC58/R2 Page 2 (c) to use the existing opportunities of global health funding mechanisms to mobilize required resources for laboratory services in support of public health programmes such as Integrated Disease Surveillance, International Health Regulations, disease prevention and control, and epidemic response; (d) to develop plans to fully equip and staff national public health reference and clinical laboratories; (e) to assign specific responsibilities to national public health reference laboratories related to the technical coordination, quality assurance, training and support to peripheral laboratories; (f) to strengthen the public health laboratory supply and distribution system in order to ensure continuous availability of laboratory equipment, reagents and supplies; (g) to support national public health laboratories to develop capacity for quality management, disease prevention and control, alert response to epidemics and health research; (h) to strengthen laboratory human capacity at all levels by identifying and addressing laboratory training and continuing education needs, as well as developing mechanisms to minimize the brain drain of laboratory personnel; (i) to ensure preventive and curative maintenance of laboratory equipment by training biomedical engineers and technicians, and strengthening laboratory staff capacity to perform preventive maintenance; (j) to strengthen laboratory management information systems that will allow for the collection of regular and accurate data for use in monitoring, evaluating and planning of quality laboratory services; 3. REQUESTS the Regional Director: (a) to provide technical support for the development of national laboratory policies, plans, norms and standards; (b) to promote the establishment and networking of national and regional public health reference laboratories; (c) to support Member States in mobilizing, accessing and sustaining resources required to strengthen laboratory services; (d) to report to the Regional Committee at its sixty-first session (in 2011) on the progress in implementing this resolution. Third meeting, September 2008
AFR/RC58/R2: REFORÇO DOS LABORATÓRIOS DE SAÚDE PÚBLICA NA REGIÃO AFRICANA DA OMS: UMA NECESSIDADE CRUCIAL PARA O CONTROLO DAS DOENÇAS Consciente de que os laboratórios desempenham um papel crucial na prevenção e controlo das doenças, no alerta e resposta às epidemias e na investigação em saúde; Reconhecendo o importante papel dos laboratórios na vigilância integrada das doenças e na implementação do Regulamento Sanitário Internacional; Preocupado com a frequente ocorrência, na Região, de surtos que não são detectados atempadamente e não têm resposta imediata, devido à inadequada capacidade dos laboratórios; Reconhecendo as débeis capacidades dos serviços laboratoriais, em termos de organização, financiamento, recursos humanos e baixo investimento; Preocupado igualmente com a falta de clareza no respeitante à supervisão dos serviços laboratoriais e ao papel destes no âmbito dos sistemas nacionais de saúde, em alguns Estados-Membros; Consciente da necessidade de os Estados-Membros garantirem a disponibilidade de serviços laboratoriais de qualidade; Reconhecendo também a necessidade de políticas nacionais de laboratórios que orientem a criação e o funcionamento adequado de redes nacionais de laboratórios nos Estados- Membros; O Comité Regional: 1. APROVA o relatório do Director Regional sobre o reforço dos laboratórios de saúde pública na Região Africana da OMS; 2. EXORTA os Estados-Membros a: a) formularem ou reforçarem políticas nacionais abrangentes de laboratórios que incidam nas funções de organização, estrutura, trabalho em rede, coordenação, tecnologias, manutenção, biossegurança e gestão da qualidade dos laboratórios; b) garantirem o financiamento adequado dos serviços dos laboratórios de saúde pública, através de todos os meios orçamentais disponíveis do governo; c) usarem as oportunidades existentes dos mecanismos mundiais de financiamento da saúde, para mobilizar os recursos necessários para os serviços laboratoriais em apoio aos programas de saúde pública, como a vigilância integrada das doenças, o Regulamento Sanitário Internacional, a prevenção e controlo das doenças e a resposta às epidemias; d) elaborarem planos para dotar em pessoal e equipar em pleno os laboratórios nacionais de saúde pública de referência e os laboratórios clínicos; e) delegarem nos laboratórios nacionais de saúde pública de referência responsabilidades específicas relacionadas com a coordenação técnica, a garantia de qualidade, a formação e o apoio aos laboratórios periféricos; f) reforçarem o aprovisionamento e o sistema de distribuição dos laboratórios de saúde pública, para garantir uma disponibilidade permanente de equipamento, reagentes e suprimentos de laboratório; g) apoiarem os laboratórios nacionais de saúde pública a desenvolverem capacidades para uma gestão de qualidade, prevenção e controlo das doenças, alerta e resposta às epidemias e investigação em saúde; h) reforçarem a capacidade humana dos laboratórios, a todos os níveis, identificando e dando resposta às necessidades de formação inicial e contínua, bem como estabelecendo mecanismos para minimizar a fuga dos profissionais dos laboratórios; i) assegurarem a manutenção preventiva e curativa do equipamento laboratorial, formando engenheiros e técnicos biomédicos, e reforçando a capacidade do pessoal dos laboratórios para uma manutenção preventiva; j) reforçarem os sistemas de informação sobre gestão dos laboratórios, para permitir a recolha regular de dados precisos para a monitorização, avaliação e planeamento de serviços laboratoriais de qualidade; 3. SOLICITA ao Director Regional que: a) dê apoio técnico à formulação de políticas, planos, normas e modelos para os laboratórios nacionais; b) promova a criação e a organização em rede de laboratórios regionais de saúde pública de referência; c) apoie os Estados-Membros na mobilização, no acesso e na manutenção dos recursos necessários para o reforço dos serviços de laboratórios; d) apresente na sexagésima-primeira sessão do Comité Regional, em 2011, um relatório dos progressos realizados na implementação desta resolução. Terceira sessão, 2 de Setembro de 2008
AFR/RC58/R2 2 September 2008 Fifty-eighth session ORIGINAL: ENGLISH Yaounde, Republic of Cameroon, 1–5 September 2008 RESOLUTION STRENGTHENING PUBLIC HEALTH LABORATORIES IN THE WHO AFRICAN REGION: A CRITICAL NEED FOR DISEASE CONTROL (document AFR/RC58/6) The Regional Committee, Aware of the crucial role that laboratories play in disease prevention, control, alert and response to epidemics and health research; Acknowledging the important role of laboratories in Integrated Disease Surveillance and implementation of the International Health Regulations; Concerned about the frequent occurrence of outbreaks in the Region that are not immediately detected and responded to due to inadequate laboratory capacities; Recognizing the weak organizational, financial and human resource capacity and low investment in laboratory services; Concerned about the unclear oversight arrangement and the role of laboratory services within the national health systems in some Member States; Cognizant of the need for Member States to ensure availability of quality laboratory services; Acknowledging the need for national laboratory policies to guide the development and proper functioning of national laboratory networks in Member States; 1. ENDORSES the report of the Regional Director on strengthening public health laboratories in the WHO African Region; 2. URGES Member States: (a) to develop or strengthen comprehensive national laboratory policies that should focus on laboratory functions, organization, structures, networking, coordination, technologies, maintenance, biosafety, biosecurity and quality management; (b) to ensure adequate funding for public health laboratory services from all available government budgetary means; AFR/RC58/R2 Page 2 (c) to use the existing opportunities of global health funding mechanisms to mobilize required resources for laboratory services in support of public health programmes such as Integrated Disease Surveillance, International Health Regulations, disease prevention and control, and epidemic response; (d) to develop plans to fully equip and staff national public health reference and clinical laboratories; (e) to assign specific responsibilities to national public health reference laboratories related to the technical coordination, quality assurance, training and support to peripheral laboratories; (f) to strengthen the public health laboratory supply and distribution system in order to ensure continuous availability of laboratory equipment, reagents and supplies; (g) to support national public health laboratories to develop capacity for quality management, disease prevention and control, alert response to epidemics and health research; (h) to strengthen laboratory human capacity at all levels by identifying and addressing laboratory training and continuing education needs, as well as developing mechanisms to minimize the brain drain of laboratory personnel; (i) to ensure preventive and curative maintenance of laboratory equipment by training biomedical engineers and technicians, and strengthening laboratory staff capacity to perform preventive maintenance; (j) to strengthen laboratory management information systems that will allow for the collection of regular and accurate data for use in monitoring, evaluating and planning of quality laboratory services; 3. REQUESTS the Regional Director: (a) to provide technical support for the development of national laboratory policies, plans, norms and standards; (b) to promote the establishment and networking of national and regional public health reference laboratories; (c) to support Member States in mobilizing, accessing and sustaining resources required to strengthen laboratory services; (d) to report to the Regional Committee at its sixty-first session (in 2011) on the progress in implementing this resolution. Third meeting, September 2008