By Mike Mwaniki in Cape Town, South Africa
More than 1,200 experts and researchers are attending the sixth biennial African Society for Laboratory Medicine conference which begun yesterday in Cape Town, South Africa.
The three-day meeting—whose theme is “Shaping laboratory systems and diagnostic services for the 21st century: embracing change”—is being held at the picturesque Cape Town International Convention Centre.
The conference is expected to address on laboratory systems and diagnostic services in the 21st century throughout the conference and beyond.
The keynote address will be delivered by Ambassador Dr John Nkengasong, the US Global AIDS Coordinator of the U.S President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and former first Director of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
The highly anticipated ASLM2023 Conference will be a network of collaborative scientific exploration as well as the epitome of laboratory medicine as it explores the transformative power of laboratory medicine with innovative and harmonised approach to redefining the future of healthcare in Africa.
According to experts, with almost half of the world’s population currently lacking adequate access to essential diagnostic tools
in addition to the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, research shows that the role of laboratory networks and diagnostics needs to proactively respond to infectious disease outbreaks.
At the same time, this is compounded by the realities of low-income, rural, and marginalised communities with limited access to these resources.
The conference will examine different strategies to address the challenges currently faced while laying a foundation for an improved healthcare environment.
It will also address the pivotal role of innovation and integration in making quality diagnostics for Africa’s health care.
According to experts, the meeting also aims at strengthening on coordinating stakeholders for better diagnostic services in Africa while highlighting the rise of laboratory medicine in African healthcare, resulting in improved diagnostics and better health outcomes.
“It also aims at emphasizing the need for innovation and collaboration in laboratory medicine to enhance service quality,”.
The conference assembles experts from laboratory medicine and diagnostics with African science and health journalists.
It will also focus on exploring cutting-edge innovations and advanced technologies that are set to revolutionize laboratory medicine, reshape African healthcare, and impact the global health landscape.
