WHO trains laboratory leaders in Kazakhstan

For the second year running, a group of laboratory leaders in Kazakhstan completed the Global Laboratory Leadership Programme (GLLP), which WHO first piloted in the country in 2021.

The GLLP aims to mentor current and emerging laboratory leaders in Kazakhstan to build, strengthen and sustain national laboratory systems to effectively play a critical role in the prevention, detection and control of diseases. It targets human and animal health laboratories, as well as environmental, agricultural, food or chemical laboratories, and those with a public health impact.

Fifteen graduates were invited to present their work at a workshop organized jointly by WHO and Kazakhstan's National Center for Public Health. The trainees were selected from across the health, animal and environmental sectors. Their work on using a One Health approach to strengthen health security in these sectors can be used by health authorities for future decisions to improve the national health system.

Ainagul Tokanova, a participant from the Ministry of Ecology, noted, "Participation in the programme helps laboratory managers use their knowledge in all areas of laboratory activity, ranging from improving the quality of tests, to increasing the capacity of laboratory specialists, to equipment management."

Ainagul added, "But there is still a recommendation: in subsequent cohorts, include not only issues related to medical laboratories, but also those working in the field of ecology - add examples and analyses of situations specific to environmental services."

The GLLP in Kazakhstan is being implemented in partnership with the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Almaty and national counterparts such as the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Ecology.