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February 19 2021

A group of 13 Tongan officers last month received 2-year certifications for laboratory specimen handling and shipment of infectious substances in accordance with International Air Transport Association (IATA) regulations. These certifications are an important step for strengthening laboratory services across the Pacific region. This service is especially critical during a pandemic as there is a need to refer samples across borders for testing and confirmation of diseases.

Laboratory Mentorship Programme: Two laboratory officers from Kiribati on attachment at Mataika House Fiji

SPC introduced a laboratory mentorship programme which consists of, among others, a 2-week twinning activity with pre-identified Level 2 reference laboratory. The laboratory mentorship programme focuses on tasks performed by laboratory officers in Level 1 laboratories. Managers and laboratory officers of Level 2 reference laboratories will also benefit from this programme as the tasks required to strengthen service delivery and achieve laboratory accreditation are essentially the same.