Engagement of a Service Provider to Provide Technical Assistance on Integrated Laboratory Network Optimization and Geospatial Analysis in Nigeria

Description of the Project:

Laboratories are vital to healthcare systems, directly impacting the quality of health services and enabling prompt, accurate decision-making. They are essential for disease surveillance and outbreak response. Nigeria faces challenges of inequitable access to quality diagnostics, limiting timely diagnosis and increasing healthcare costs. The Medical Laboratory Services Division (MLSD) of the Federal Ministry of Health coordinates laboratory services and implements policies to strengthen Nigeria’s laboratory system. The National Medical Laboratory Services Policy (NMLSP) addresses management challenges by establishing organizational structures in federal and state health ministries. Nigeria’s healthcare system operates across primary, secondary, and tertiary levels, with laboratory support often fragmented and poorly coordinated across disease programs. Supported by the Global Fund, MLSD has made strides in strengthening laboratory systems, but issues remain in governance, coordination, funding, infrastructure, and quality control. To address these, MLSD is implementing a Diagnostic Network Optimization (DNO) initiative under the Global Fund GC7 grant.

The objectives of the project:

• To conduct a national integrated diagnostic network assessment (DNA)
• To support the integrated Diagnostic Network Optimization analysis and modelling
• To support the implementation of the optimized integrated diagnostic network to improve access, capacity, and quality of the country’s diagnostic services.
• To support the development and wide dissemination of the National Guidelines on Laboratory Equipment Management
• To support the implementation of activities to address human resource gaps

Interventions/achievements:

PGS is working closely and collaboratively with NACA, MLSD, NMLSP and other relevant stakeholders in the Laboratory Services space. PGS is leading the implementation of all aspects of the project objectives, including desk reviews, stakeholders mapping, diagnostic network assessment, DNO analysis and modelling optimization of diagnostic network and set up, development of guidelines on equipment management and addressing human resource gaps. To achieve the desired results from each of the five objectives, therefore, PGS will provide transformative technical assistance to the MLSD to effectively manage and coordinate laboratory services across key programs. The transformative nature of the technical assistance should better position the MLSD to harness the Global Fund C19RM investments for enhanced quality, promote efficiency and drive optimization of diagnostic services delivery in Nigeria.

Related Activities: Project Management, Monitoring and Evaluation, Quality Management, Data collection, Capacity Building