BY LYNTON AARON FILIA
TAIWAN continues to support medical health services in Solomon Islands with two experts currently at the National Referral Hospital helping in upgrading the Dengue laboratory.
Medical Technician (MT) of TMC, KMUH—Mr Bo-Yi Huang has been devoting himself to examine the dengue laboratory and assuring quality and exact standard operation procedure for testing, including PCR and ELISA.
Following the first week of September, Dr Ruby Tsai, Jih-Jin, Director of TMC in KMUH organised a dengue expert team from Taiwan to Solomon Islands.
The idea is to hold a conference regarding innovative strategies for mosquito borne diseases.
With that, the team donated and introduced new diagnostic tools with total value up to SBD$130,000 to NRH, MHMS and SIG for more rapid and accurate identification for mosquito borne diseases.
The dengue expert team also inspected the dengue laboratory and provided the practical improvement guideline and suggestions.
MT Bo-Yi Huang also trained local staff of NRH to use these new tools.
Through practicing traditional and updated methods, the local MTs could be well equipped with the skills to prepare for the future challenge of any possible dengue outbreak.
The precise diagnosis could offer proper clinical management and thus reduce severity and mortality of dengue fever.
Recently, Taiwan MOFA also dispatched another scale-up support for maintenance and renovation of dengue laboratory with the total value up to SBD$450,000.
Both Taiwan government and KMUH paid efforts for strengthening the function of this dengue laboratory to maximize practical help for patients in Solomon Islands.
The dengue laboratory of NRH was set up after the first big dengue outbreak in 2013.
This laboratory was designed by the Tropical Medicine Center (TMC) of Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital (KMUH) under the grant support of Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Taiwan.
This laboratory was donated to NRH in 2014, and under the technical support from KMUH ever since.
KMUH persistently provided the maintenance, quality assurance and updated diagnostic techniques.
