Douala host international training forum for Lab technicians

Laboratory technicians have been introduced to the use and operation of new diagnostic equipment. During a scientific symposium that convened technicians from across Africa in Douala on October 23, experts in the sector operating under the umbrella of Sysmex/Partec in Europe revealed the advantages of the new malaria and HIV/AIDS diagnostic equipment: “With advanced technology we have the accuracy of information improved, provide more reliability, trustworthy and reproducibility; they are cost-effective but robost in that they are strong and powerful to be used where power supply is not stable, and the company provides after-sales support through training.

Participants came from Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, South Africa, Cameroon, and Germany. Africa is becoming our centre of focus and we are bringing high-tech equipment to Africa,” says Jorsten Reinecke of Sysmex Germany. He said the equipment and their accessories are on display in Douala by its local representative Santec. While addressing reporters in Akwa earlier on, Prof. Léopold Lehman, President of the Douala-based Santec - a local fusion of Sysmex (Japanese company specialised in the manufacture of diagnostic equipment) and Partec - said its main mission in Africa is to seek the advancement of health care: “We are here to hold this symposium to ensure that professionals in the medical laboratory have the best possible information for patient management.” Ghanaian-born Eric Osei Asante observed that in some African countries, less than 5 per cent of the health budget is spent on laboratory testing whereas over 70 per cent decisions by medical doctors depend on laboratory or clinical testing.