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| Referral Lab |
| EHACP has been involved in the gigantic task of curbing and limiting the spread of HIV/AIDS in the country through its multifaceted strategies. This requires the help and support of a laboratory service which could inspire trust and confidence in the quality of laboratory results in the country and to establish a focal point which would provide leadership and vision in all aspects of laboratory testing of HIV/AIDS as well as STIs through: |
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- Providing a referral laboratory service to hospital laboratories, blood banks and VCTs for confirmation of their screening results and solving problem sample outcomes
- Establishing and implementing an independent countrywide quality management system in HIV/STI testing
- Promoting efforts in the training and education of laboratory personnel in HIV/STI testing
- Conducting targeted research in HIV/AIDS and STIs
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| The National HIV/STI Referral Laboratory was established by NACP in December 2006, with financial assistance provided by the UNFPA. The laboratory is located within the premises of National Institute of Health (NIH). The Laboratory aims to provide a comprehensive range of laboratory services and expertise related to HIV. Organizations that use these services include: |
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- Private Laboratories
- Hospitals
- Blood-screening laboratories
- HIV Treatment Centres
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| The Laboratory works as a team with overlapping responsibilities. The laboratory is staffed by a competent team of experienced members: |
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Dr. Nadeem Ikram
MBBS, DCP, FCPS
Senior Manager Serology
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Mr. Mehmood-ul-Hassan
B.Sc MLT
Research Assistant |
Mr. Hayat Mir Tariq
DPH, B.Sc MLT
Medical Technologist |
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| Objectives |
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| Reference Testing, Screening and Diagnostic Testing |
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- Testing and confirmation of HIV samples.
- Reference diagnostic support to laboratories that may not have the capability to fully diagnose infections.
- HIV serological testing of challenging samples for provincial laboratories and blood banks.
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| Quality Assurance |
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| One of the main objectives of the Referral laboratory is to serve as a central resource for laboratory Quality Assurance (QA). To have External Quality Assurance of the Referral Lab, the National Quality Assurance services will be provided to: HIV VCCT Centres, Blood Banks, Public/Private Labs & HIV Treatment Centres. |
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- Supporting the development of quality assurance programming for clinical laboratories through the provision of training, consultation and proficiency testing.
- Development of Standard Operative Procedures (SOP's), Safety Manual, Quality Assurance Manual, and Training Manual.
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| Training and Education of Health Care and Public Health Workers |
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| It has the ability to serve as an academic centre in areas related to public health, including provision of training to improve the scientific and technical skills of HIV laboratory staff. |
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- Training of medical and supportive personnel from all over Pakistan in lab diagnosis of HIV infection.
- To conduct workshops, seminars, refresher courses, hands-on training, On-site workshops, supervisory visits to peripheral labs & blood banks
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| Surveillance |
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| This includes: |
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- The Laboratory should be part of HIV outbreak investigations along with epidemiologists.
- Examining Dried Blood spot (DBS) specimens and analyzing test results for the identification of HIV in high risk population.
- Work as a key counterpart to HIV control and epidemiology units in the above services.
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| Research |
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| The laboratory should be a research centre (long term goal). It would carry out drug resistance studies as well as HIV genotypic studies to monitor trends in AIDS epidemiology. |
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| Latest Activities |
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| EHACP organizes Workshop on HIV/AIDS Laboratory Diagnosis |
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| A two days training workshop on “HIV/AIDS Laboratory Diagnosis and Quality Assurance” was held at College of Medical Technology, PIMS Islamabad on April 9-10, 2010 organized by Enhanced HIV & AIDS Control Programme (Federal Component) in order to train Laboratory Technicians in quality management for HIV diagnosis. The training is a part of the ongoing nationwide series of workshops being conducted by EHACP to inculate proper, reliable and quality assured diagnosis for HIV infection. Dr. Nadeem Ikram; Manager Serology, Mr. Usman Waheed and Mr. Muhammad Qasim Research Fellows EHACP facilitated the training workshop. Consultants to EHACP Prof. Khurshid Ahmed and Dr. Osman Yusuf also delivered lectures on the occasion. Mr. Pervez Abbasi conducted the practical session under the supervision of the EHACP Consultants. About 65 participants attended the workshop and were trained in all aspects related to laboratory diagnosis and quality control procedures to ensure proper diagnosis of HIV infection. The participants received certificates at the end of the course. Professor Dr. Qamar Hamid, Principal CMT, and Dr. Fouzia Sabeeh thanked the EHACP team and appreciated the efforts of EHACP. Dr. Qamar Hamid desired to have further training workshops for the students in future. |
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EHACP participated in "Scientific Communication Course” organized by FELTP Pakistan
(Volume 17, Issue 04, March 2010) |
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| The Field Epidemiology & Laboratory Training Programme (FELTP) Pakistan in collaboration with National Institute of Health (NIH) organized a course titled "Scientific Communication -- Presenting Scientific Data" on March 24-30, 2010. The course was facilitated by renowned international experts from CDC Atlanta, USA in the field of Health Communication. Mr. Usman Waheed Research Fellow, EHACP attended the complete course per schedule. The course was aimed at capacity building of Public Health Researchers and Medical Scientists of selected health organizations/departments. Prof. Pascale Krumm and Prof. Lisa, Health Communication Specialists at CDC along with Dr. Rana Jawad, Resident Advisor FELTP, very effectively facilitated the course. Major contents of the course included, Crafting persuasive presentations, writing scientific manuscripts, abstracts & ancillary material, conducting Journal searches, designing & delivering effective presentations. The presentation made by Mr. Usman Waheed on closing day was appreciated and critically reviewed by both experts and also by Resident Advisor FELTP, Dr. Rana Jawad. |
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EHACP organizes Training Workshop on “Laboratory Diagnosis and Quality Assurance in HIV Testing”
(Volume 17, Issue 03, March 2010) |
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| The National HIV/STI Referral Laboratory, Enhanced HIV & AIDS Control Programme (Federal Component) arranged a 2 days training workshop on “Laboratory Diagnosis and Quality Assurance in HIV Testing”. The workshop was held at Pakistan Institute of Medical Technologies (PIMT) on March 12-13, 2010. The participants included 32 students and 4 faculty members. The purpose of the workshop is to equip the students/paramedics with the routine testing techniques about HIV/AIDS and also creating general awareness about it.
The training programme included a briefed introduction of the Referral Laboratory, and lectures on General Virology of HIV, Immune Response to HIV, Biosafety and Laboratory Diagnosis of HIV, phlebotomy, Quality Control in HIV Testing and Counseling of HIV patient. The course coordinators were NACP research Fellows Mr. Muhammad Qasim and Mr. Usman Waheed. Other speakers included Mr. Mehmood ul Hassan, Mr. Pervez Abbasi, Dr. Nadeem Ikram from NACP. Dr. Abdul Qadeer, Chief Executive, PIMT and Dr. Asma Qadeer, Principal, PIMT appreciated the efforts of NACP Referral laboratory team in organizing this workshop.
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Dr. Nafis Sadik visit to NACP National HIV/STI Referral Laboratory
(Volume 16, Issue 3, February 2010) |
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Dr. Nafis Sadik, Special Envoy of UN Secretary General on HIV/AIDS for Asia Pacific Region, visited the NACP National HIV/STI Referral Laboratory, met the laboratory staff and the UNFPA funded Consultants and Research Fellows and received a briefing. She appreciated the performance of the Laboratory and recommended:
Development of a Regional Project on Prevention of Parent to Child Transmission (PPTCT)
Addressing the PPTCT issues in the national HIV Testing Policy
All high risk groups to be addressed through Family Planning for condom distribution in order to facilitate their integration in the general population
Close collaboration between AIDS and TB Programmes for management of HIV/TB co-infection
Continuation of UNFPA support to the laboratory including the services of the Consultants and Research Fellows
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Symposium on “HIV / AIDS in Pakistan – The Pathologists Perspective 2009”
(Volume 13, Issue 02, November 2009) |
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The NACP organized a symposium on “HIV/AIDS in Pakistan – The Pathologists Perspective” during the 33rd Annual PAP Conference on November 7, 2009. A number of experts made presentations in the symposium. The opening presentation was made by Dr. Hasan Abbas Zaheer NPM, NACP. He informed about the global, regional and national scenario of HIV/AIDS epidemic and gave a brief background of the AIDS Control Programme in Pakistan.
Prof Farah Mustafa, Professor and Head of Department of the Biosciences, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Islamabad spoke about the immunology and virology of the human immunodeficiency virus. Prof Khalid Hasan, Professor of Hematology, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad, highlighted the hematological manifestation of HIV/AIDS. In addition to explaining the subject in detail, he also presented PIMS data of AIDS cases, from January 2005 to June 2009.
Prof Muhammad Mukhtar, Professor of Biochemistry, University of Arid Agriculture, presented the findings of his original research on the Metabolic Effects and Opportunistic Infection in HIV/AIDS. He highlights how the AIDS virus affects the hormonal status of the patients.
Prof. Rizwan Qazi, Associate Prof of Medicine, PIMS, Islamabad, who is the Clinician incharge of the HIV Treatment Centre at PIMS, eloquently explained the different clinical presentations of HIV infection and AIDS. Dr Nadeem Ikram, Senior Manager, NACP HIV/AIDS Referral Laboratory, Islamabad, discussed the various techniques of testing for HIV/AIDS.
Prof Khurshid Ahmad, Scientist Emeritus, National Institute of Health, Islamabad, and Consultant to the National AIDS Control Programme, provided an extremely enlightening overview of Quality Assurance in the testing for HIV infection. The meeting was chaired by two eminent immunologists, Brigadier Dr. Tahir Aziz Ahmed, Consultant Immunologist, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Rawalpindi, and Dr M Osman Yusuf, Consultant to NACP
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| Technical Documents |
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HIV Testing Criteria for Children Affected by HIV & AIDS |
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