In the EAC region, there is a young and growing population with an expanding middle class, an increasing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and a continued prevalence of infectious diseases. At the same time, studies revealed the continued presence of poor-quality medicines, for the treatment of both NCDs and infectious diseases, on the EAC's market. The continued risk of exposing the population to poor-quality health products requires consolidated and coordinated efforts in the fight against substandard and falsified medicines.
Training on the use of Minilab is required for quick and inexpensive medicine quality screening. This is a transportable, self-contained kit ready-packed with glassware, standards, solvents, reagents, and thin-layer chromatography (TLC) tools (plates, lamps, etc).
The use of Minilab kits and methods boosts medicines testing capacity and protects patients against medicines of extremely poor quality infiltrating the drug supply chains of governmental, private, and public sectors, especially in developing countries. Offering training on the use of the GPHF Minilab in the EAC Region will be benefitted by many professionals working in medicine quality assurance, post-marketing surveillance, health products regulation, and academia in the EAC region.
The training in GPHF Minilab techniques and methods aims at equipping the supply chains workforce in the EAC region with strong skills in the rapid and inexpensive screening of health commodities entering the EAC region's market, to identify any substandard and/or falsified medicines, and therefore, prevent its use by the population
- Course facilitator: Dr. Thomas Bizimana