WHO Europe to support the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan in preparation to accreditation of National influenza Center

The visit was organized in the framework of implementation of the Biennial Cooperation Agreement between the European Regional Bureau of the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan for 2022-2023, as well as by WHO initiative "Better Labs - Better Health” and Pandemic Influenza preparedness (PIP) project in Turkmenistan.

The visit is the 9th mission of WHO Europe to support the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan in providing continuous mentoring support to improve the quality of laboratory activities, as well as the practical implementation of a quality management system based on the ISO 15189 standard in the Virological Reference Laboratory of the Public Health and Nutrition Center, which is the National Influenza Center in the country recognized by WHO.

Based on the results of the mentoring support provided by WHO, the next step is to conduct accreditation of NIC in accordance with ISO 15189 standard, an international standard that defines the requirements for a quality management system specific to medical laboratories.

The events will be held at Virological Reference Laboratory of the Public Health and Nutrition Center of the State Sanitary and Epidemiological Service of the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan from May 1 to May 5, 2023.