Back to Namibia!

I am excited to be returning to Namibia. My laboratory colleagues are great fun to be with and together we are facilitating two separate workshops- each 1 week in length. We fly into Windhoek and spend the night then fly on to Ondangwa where the venue for both workshops is located. Week one we will be giving a BLOT II (Basic laboratory Operations Training II) workshop. In this week we will discuss lab management principles, Quality Indicators, Pre-analytical, Analytical, and Post-analytical variables that affect the accuracy and reliability of lab test results, Quality Control and how to interpret errors, and stock management. Week 2 we will facilitate a Phlebotomy workshop for laboratorians and nurses. We will focus on pre-analytical variables, safety, using Best Practices in performing venipuncture procedures, and cusstomer satisfaction. I will post pictures daily (if internet access allows) of activities we did during that day and share comments from our Namibian colleagues. I am posting a few pics from our last trip until I get new pics to post!



Mathew and Colleague holding Traveling Tommy. We performed a post-assessment using the WHO -Afro Accreditation Checklist at the central lab; the lab has made impressive improvements in the past 8 months.





Traveling Tommy getting his picture taken with the SST tubes. The blood specimens are waiting their turn to be analyzed and reported back to clinicians so their patients can be diagnosed and treated correctly! The Central Lab is a 500 bed hospital and the lab is extremely busy!





Bev and Mathew are shopping at the Ondangwa Market! Mathew said his wife would be proud of him for escorting Bev and I through the market and helping us buy "Ondangwa Dresses and head scarves". We did have fun and made many purchases!