The partnership between Philipps-Universität Marburg (PUM) and the Good Samaritan Foundation (GSF) aims to work with the affiliated Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC), the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College (KCMUCo) and the Kilimanjaro Clinical Research Institute (KCRI) in Tanzania to establish the organisational structure for a competence centre for laboratory medicine.

The KCMC, the KCMUCo and the KCRI each have their own labs, but these labs do not necessarily share information with each other. This often results in testing procedures being duplicated. The limited space available and the growing medical demands being placed on the labs mean that the hospital and training system is constantly overstretched. In order to improve the current situation, construction work will begin in 2022 on a new building to house the competence centre. The partnership between PUM and GSF will provide assistance with the technical aspects of the centre.

Activities: - Establishing a committee to develop an organisational structure - Compiling an organisational handbook for the new competence centre - Developing a quality management handbook and submitting accreditation documents - Setting up a working group on laboratory diagnostics - Introducing test systems into routine diagnostics

Results: The spatial and technical structure of the competence centre for laboratory medicine will ensure that existing resources are maximised. Technical improvements and modernisation of the labs will also facilitate better diagnosis and treatment of patients in areas such as cardiology, oncology and infection medicine.