Sysmex Corporation (HQ: Kobe, Japan; Chairman and CEO: Hisashi Ietsugu) responded to the call by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for proposals under the second fiscal 2015 “Collaboration Program with the Private Sector for Disseminating Japanese Technology for Social and Economic Development of Developing Countries.” Sysmex’s proposal for “Clinical Laboratory Quality Management Technology Implementation Project (Quality Management Support System for Laboratory Operation Improvement)” in the African Republic of Namibia was awarded.
Going forward, Sysmex will pursue this business with JICA’s support.
Thanks to an economic infrastructure benefit from abundant mineral resources and a democratic government, Namibia ranked as the seventh-highest with $5,210 gross national income (GNI) per-capita of the 48 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa1. However, with only three physicians per 10,000 people2, the country lacks healthcare professionals and infrastructure, and ensuring the quality of healthcare is an issue. Furthermore, in vitro diagnostics by sampling and testing blood and urine are essential to disease diagnosis and treatment, but the environment to conduct testing is not in place, hindering the provision of appropriate test results to patients.
Against this backdrop, the Namibian government is introducing measures to improve the quality of public medical institutions. At clinical laboratories, the government is implementing quality improvement measures based on certification under ISO 15189 requirements for quality and competence in medical laboratories.
Sysmex has experience in operating a mentorship3 program in Africa using its Sysmex Quality Guidance Manual (SQGM), a clinical laboratory quality control manual based on ISO 15189. We have already entered into public–private partnership (PPP)4 agreements with the health ministries of Zambia and Zimbabwe and are providing support there.
Under the proposal that has been adopted, Sysmex will provide its XN-1000 hematology analyzer, SNCS®5 online maintenance management system, and mentorship program using SQGM to facilities under the jurisdiction of the Namibia Institute of Pathology, where the Namibian government has entrusted with operational management in the clinical testing field. Accordingly, we hope to contribute for a clinical laboratory quality management system that meets international standards and help to raise the level of healthcare provision.
We aim to use our track record in Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe as a stepping-stone to enhance the quality of testing in Africa and promote horizontal development into surrounding countries.
Going forward, Sysmex will continue to instill trust and confidence to our customers in developing countries and all over the world by contributing to the standardization and improvement of healthcare quality.
JICA’s Collaboration with the Private Sector for Disseminating Japanese Technology
This scheme is designed to foster an understanding among government officials in counterpart
countries about private-sector Japanese companies’ products, technologies, expertise and
systems to promote the social and economic development of those countries by supporting
technological guidance and local seminars, as well as through demonstrations of their own
equipment.
Expenditure (commission fee): Up to ¥20 million per project
Results: 67 projects adopted out of 247 projects proposed over the past five years
Details: http://www.jica.go.jp/activities/schemes/priv_partner/kaihatsu/index.html (Japanese only)
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