In East Africa doctors often rely on a patient’s signs and symptoms rather than laboratory tests to make decisions about how to treat an illness. There are few medical labs in the region and equipment is often out of date which leads to incorrect diagnosis and errors when managing disease outbreaks.
AMREF recognizes the lack of laboratory testing as something that needs to be changed. It is negatively affecting people’s health. To change this AMREF started a programme to improve lab services run by governments and charities in East Africa.
This programme works with other organizations to promote laboratory tests. The use of this testing should improve the health of people in the region and limit disease spread. AMREF is helping to set up laboratories throughout the region. The goal is to make these services available everywhere. This programme will help fight diseases like malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.
AMREF is:
- Developing courses and materials to train health care workers (AMREF runs the only full course on lab services in the region)
- Providing ongoing technical expertise to governments and other partner organizations
- Developing strategies for improving the way different laboratories work together (this includes helping write government policies)
- Establishing hundreds of labs in East Africa (these labs reach between 6 and 10 million people living in rural areas)
- Providing reference services through AMREF’s Central Laboratory (using this lab as an example for others in the region)
Major Project Funders:
Dr. John and Mary Nixon
AMREF Development Fund Donors
AMREF also awards laboratory scholarships to health professionals working in rural communities.
Find out more about AMREF's work in:
Ethiopia
South Africa
Southern Sudan
Tanzania
Uganda
