Skip to main content

Ciheb Malawi Donates Equipment to Districts

December 09, 2022 | Jennifer Gonzales

Water tank at Karonga lab.

University of Maryland Baltimore's (UMB) Ciheb Malawi recently donated water tanks, solar batteries, and computers to districts in Malawi for lab improvement. Laboratories are crucial to timely and quality health services not only for those living with HIV but also prevention of HIV infection. It is essential to ensure that laboratories and laboratory staff are well-equipped and well-trained to deliver services. This is the mandate of UMB Ciheb Malawi's project called Accelerating Malawi's PEPFAR Laboratory Logistics and Infrastructure for Quality (AMPLIFY).

The AMPLIFY project supports the Ministry of Health in improving Malawi's efficiency, capacity, and quality of laboratory services. Specific areas of focus include:

  • Expanding a cost-effective national sample transport system.
  • Increasing access to quality HIV diagnostics.
  • Supporting laboratories to achieve accreditation.
  • Building the capacity of strategic laboratory information.

For example, Karonga lab, situated in northern Malawi, is being set up to soon begin HIV viral load testing. Karonga district has a general water efficiency problem that affects the lab's operations. The donated water tank will help with consistent water provision and expedite the commissioning of this lab to start testing.

Parts of Malawi experience persistent power blackouts affecting lab operations. In Mzimba South's lab, power backup support, through donated solar batteries, ensure that the lab always remains operational. This will reduce the turnaround time, and reagent wasted when testing is aborted due to power loss.

Computers were also donated to all districts and molecular labs. These computers support data entry of samples into the Laboratory Information Management System, strengthening the capacity of the labs' ability to manage the specimens received.

Through the strengthening of lab functionality and partnerships with stakeholders in Malawi, UMB Ciheb Malawi continues to work to improve testing and treatment and the quality of life for Malawians to meet the UNAIDS' goal of eradicating HIV by 2030.

Contact

Center for International Health, Education, and Biosecurity
Institute of Human Virology

Anthony Okoth
Regional Communications Specialist

Related stories

    Friday, July 14, 2023

    Addressing Unprocessed HIV Viral Load Samples Backlog in Malawi

    The health sector in Malawi was faced with a pressing backlog issue of unprocessed HIV viral load samples. These had accumulated due to reagent stockouts and persistent power outages in the country.


    Tuesday, September 20, 2022

    National HIV Testing, Counselling, and Treatment Day in Zambia

    Zambia remains one of the countries that the HIV and AIDS epidemic hard hit. These factors necessitate spreading awareness of the importance of testing and treatment among Zambians.


    Monday, August 15, 2022

    UMB's Ciheb Tanzania Holds CQI Indicators Workshop

    Adopting Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) processes is an approach for accelerating progress towards attainment of the 95-95-95 global HIV targets.


    Wednesday, June 01, 2022

    UMB supports MoH in task-shifting COVID-19 testing

    To expand access to COVID-19 testing to rural and hard-to-reach areas, the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Malawi decentralized testing from laboratories using conventional molecular platforms. The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) – Ciheb Malawi AMPLIFY program trained laboratory personnel in peripheral facilities in using rapid antigen testing that can be performed by non-laboratory staff. The MOH started using COVID-19 rapid antigen testing in November 2021 and has continued expanding this service to new testing sites.


    Wednesday, June 30, 2021

    Malawi Celebrates ISO 15189 Accreditation of Laboratories

    The University of Maryland, Baltimore through Ciheb, in conjunction with the Malawi Ministry of Health and other partners, held an awards ceremony to celebrate the ISO 15189:2012 medical laboratory accreditation of six facilities in Malawi, four of which were supported by Ciheb.