IQLS experts Dr. Erika Ornelas Eusebio and Dr. Arsen Zakaryan participated in high-level meetings with government officials and conducted laboratory system assessments in Paraguay from May 24 to June 3, 2021 as part of the Global Laboratory Leadership Programme (GLLP) in South America.

With 25 participants total, representatives present from the Ministry of Health, the Central Laboratory of Public Health, the National Hospital Laboratory, the Pan American Health Organization and the National Service of Quality and Animal Health (SENACSA) were welcoming and eager to introduce GLLP nationally.

Mission Objectives
The goals of the mission were to:

  • Hold initial high-level face-to-face meetings with government officials in Paraguay to establish commitment to GLLP
  • Perform assessments of human and veterinary laboratory systems in Paraguay using specific tools that were translated into Spanish to identify strengths and weaknesses
  • Oversee the initiation and requirements to create a One Health technical working group to coordinate GLLP activities in Paraguay.

One Health Approach
A One Health debriefing session was held to present preliminary assessment results as well as key recommendations. This session successfully gathered representatives from both human and veterinary sectors, allowing for discussions to initiate deeper collaborations between the sectors.

The next step for the GLLP in Paraguay includes the creation of a One Health technical working group by The Ministry of Health and SENACSA.

About the GLLP: Empowering National Laboratory Systems
The Global Laboratory Leadership Programme is a collaboration of six international partner organizations who support the advancement of laboratory systems across the globe. These partners include: the World Health Organization (WHO), the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).

They are committed to the vision of laboratory leaders empowering national laboratory systems around the world using a One Health approach to strengthen health security of human, animal, food and water laboratories.

For more information, please see the GLLP website at: https://www.who.int/initiatives/global-laboratory-leadership-programme.