CHAZ PCR Lab 5 Star – Africa CDC and ASLM Audit

The Churches Health Association of Zambia (CHAZ) Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Laboratory has been given a five-star score in the COVID-19 Testing Lab Certification Program after a rigorous assessment by Africa – Centres for Disease Control (CDC) and the Africa Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM). Consequently, the CHAZ Laboratory is internationally certified to test SARS-COV-2 (COVID-19).

The score was given after a rigorous audit that includes: Laboratory Policies and Procedures; Testing Capacity; Quality Control; External Quality Assurance; Turnaround Time; Data Management; Biosafety and Biosecurity.

Laboratory audits are an effective means to ascertain the accuracy and reliability of COVID-19 testing results in addition to ensuring that Laboratories are well managed and adhering to good laboratory practices. The process is very critical to identifying areas of practice that require improvement.

The CHAZ PCR Laboratory is now listed on the Africa CDC Trusted Travel Online Digital Platform. The listing provides information on entry requirements and travel restrictions at the departure and destination ports and access to a list of approved laboratories for COVID-19 testing in African countries.

It allows travellers to upload their COVID-19 test results online for easy verification by port health and travel officials and helps in the detection of counterfeit travel documents. This helps establish trust and confidence in test results among participating government authorities, airlines, transport operators and other stakeholders.

Since its inception, the CHAZ Laboratory has been a strategic partner of the Ministry of Health in offering quality laboratory services. In 2020, the CHAZ Laboratory expanded its range of services from HIV viral load testing to Early Infant Diagnosis (EID).

The CHAZ Laboratory was activated in September 2020 as a testing site for Covid-19.  With support from the Global Fund (GF), the laboratory has procured a real time PCR platform to add to the already existing GeneXpert Infinity 48 in order to enhance capacity.

The CHAZ PCR Laboratory is poised to grow in serving Zambia with reliable and efficient services.