An oral history of medical laboratory development in francophone West African countries
Background: Underdeveloped and underused medical laboratories in sub-Saharan Africa negatively affect the diagnosis and appropriate treatment of ailments. Objective: We identified political, disease-related and socio-economic factors that have shaped the laboratory sector in Senegal, Mali and Burki...
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doaj-a1cd66c63c5544599655409ce3706df22021-03-24T06:08:12ZengAOSISAfrican Journal of Laboratory Medicine2225-20022225-20102021-03-01101e1e1010.4102/ajlm.v10i1.1157315An oral history of medical laboratory development in francophone West African countriesWinny Koster0Albert G. Ndione1Mourfou Adama2Ibrehima Guindo3Iyane Sow4Souleymane Diallo5Jean Sakandé6Pascale Ondoa7Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; and, Department of Public Health, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, theInstitut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), TransVIHMI, CRCF-Hôpital Fann, DakarCentre National de Lutte Anti Tuberculeuse (CNLAT), Laboratoire National de Référence des Mycobactéries, OuagadougouInstitut National de Recherche en Santé Publique, BamakoDirectorate of Laboratory services, Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare, DakarCentre d’Infectiologie Charles Mérieux, BamakoFondation Mérieux, OuagadougouAmsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; and, Department of Global Health, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; and, African Society for Laboratory Medicine, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaBackground: Underdeveloped and underused medical laboratories in sub-Saharan Africa negatively affect the diagnosis and appropriate treatment of ailments. Objective: We identified political, disease-related and socio-economic factors that have shaped the laboratory sector in Senegal, Mali and Burkina Faso to inform laboratory-strengthening programmes. Methods: We searched peer-reviewed and grey literature from February 2015 to December 2018 on laboratory and health systems development from colonial times to the present and conducted in-depth interviews with 73 key informants involved in (inter)national health or laboratory policy, organisation, practice or training. This article depended on the key informants’ accounts due to the paucity of literature on laboratory development in francophone West African countries. Literature and interview findings were triangulated and are presented chronologically. Results: Until around 1990 there were a few disease-specific research laboratories; only the larger hospitals and district health facilities housed a rudimentary laboratory. The 1990s brought the advent of donor-dictated, vertical, endemic and epidemic disease programmes and laboratories. Despite decentralising from the national level to the regional and district levels, these vertical laboratory programmes biased national health resource allocation deleteriously neglecting the development of the horizontal, general-health laboratory. After the year 2000, the general-health laboratory system received more attention when, influenced by the World Health Organization, national networks and (sub-)directorates of laboratories were installed. Conclusion: To advance national general healthcare, as opposed to disease-specific healthcare, national laboratory directors and experts in general laboratory development should be consulted when national policies are made with potential laboratory donors.https://ajlmonline.org/index.php/ajlm/article/view/1157oral historymedical laboratorysenegalburkina fasomali |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Winny Koster Albert G. Ndione Mourfou Adama Ibrehima Guindo Iyane Sow Souleymane Diallo Jean Sakandé Pascale Ondoa |
spellingShingle |
Winny Koster Albert G. Ndione Mourfou Adama Ibrehima Guindo Iyane Sow Souleymane Diallo Jean Sakandé Pascale Ondoa An oral history of medical laboratory development in francophone West African countries African Journal of Laboratory Medicine oral history medical laboratory senegal burkina faso mali |
author_facet |
Winny Koster Albert G. Ndione Mourfou Adama Ibrehima Guindo Iyane Sow Souleymane Diallo Jean Sakandé Pascale Ondoa |
author_sort |
Winny Koster |
title |
An oral history of medical laboratory development in francophone West African countries |
title_short |
An oral history of medical laboratory development in francophone West African countries |
title_full |
An oral history of medical laboratory development in francophone West African countries |
title_fullStr |
An oral history of medical laboratory development in francophone West African countries |
title_full_unstemmed |
An oral history of medical laboratory development in francophone West African countries |
title_sort |
oral history of medical laboratory development in francophone west african countries |
publisher |
AOSIS |
series |
African Journal of Laboratory Medicine |
issn |
2225-2002 2225-2010 |
publishDate |
2021-03-01 |
description |
Background: Underdeveloped and underused medical laboratories in sub-Saharan Africa negatively affect the diagnosis and appropriate treatment of ailments.
Objective: We identified political, disease-related and socio-economic factors that have shaped the laboratory sector in Senegal, Mali and Burkina Faso to inform laboratory-strengthening programmes.
Methods: We searched peer-reviewed and grey literature from February 2015 to December 2018 on laboratory and health systems development from colonial times to the present and conducted in-depth interviews with 73 key informants involved in (inter)national health or laboratory policy, organisation, practice or training. This article depended on the key informants’ accounts due to the paucity of literature on laboratory development in francophone West African countries. Literature and interview findings were triangulated and are presented chronologically.
Results: Until around 1990 there were a few disease-specific research laboratories; only the larger hospitals and district health facilities housed a rudimentary laboratory. The 1990s brought the advent of donor-dictated, vertical, endemic and epidemic disease programmes and laboratories. Despite decentralising from the national level to the regional and district levels, these vertical laboratory programmes biased national health resource allocation deleteriously neglecting the development of the horizontal, general-health laboratory. After the year 2000, the general-health laboratory system received more attention when, influenced by the World Health Organization, national networks and (sub-)directorates of laboratories were installed.
Conclusion: To advance national general healthcare, as opposed to disease-specific healthcare, national laboratory directors and experts in general laboratory development should be consulted when national policies are made with potential laboratory donors. |
topic |
oral history medical laboratory senegal burkina faso mali |
url |
https://ajlmonline.org/index.php/ajlm/article/view/1157 |
work_keys_str_mv |
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