The Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), through the Directorate of Health Laboratories (DLS) with technical and financial support from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC) through its implementing partner Global Health Systems Solutions (GHSS), recently held a threeday workshop in Kolwezi, Lualaba Province to disseminate the Integrated Sample Transport Guide and the Operational Guideline for TB and HIV specimen transport. The DLS, which leads national laboratory systems, coordinated the workshop to ensure alignment with national policies and strengthen diagnostic capacity. The meeting brought together 25 key stakeholders from Kinshasa, Haut Katanga, and Lualaba, including program coordinators and laboratory managers, to review national guidelines, map actors involved in specimen transport, and examine the digital tracking tool developed by GHSS, which is already in use in the province of Lualaba.
Participants highlighted the need to integrate risk management measures, reference Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) across the chain of custody in the operational guideline for integrated sample transportation, and strengthen TB monitoring elements in the digital tracking system. The workshop successfully achieved over 90% of its objectives, laying the groundwork for expanding digital specimen tracking to more health zones and provinces, and reinforcing DRC’s capacity to detect and respond to infectious diseases.
