Decommissioned Clinical Labs WA lab equipment finds new home in Madagascar!
Australian Clinical Labs WA, through a collaboration with Dr Digby Cullen (Gastroenterologist), recently worked alongside the Australian Doctors for Africa (ADFA) program to find a fantastic new home for a set of decommissioned lab items. The ADFA offers medical, surgical and nursing skills training to local health workers in Ethiopia, Somaliland, Madagascar and Comoros.
The equipment came from a number of laboratories in WA and was in storage before being identified as suitable for the ADFA program and donated to the University of Madagascar for teaching and research purposes. ADFA, founded by Mr Graham Forward (Orthopaedic Surgeon) has been conducting a medical aid program in Madagascar since 2005 focussed mainly on orthopaedics, club foot , gastroenterology, urology, bronchoscopy and more recently laparoscopic surgery/gynaecology.
Clinical Labs WA CEO, Shae Seymour said, “being involved in this program is a simple but really important thing to do. We are committed to improving community health at home and this program allows us to extend that patient-care focus into one of the poorest countries on earth. By giving this equipment, we can help to train the next generation of pathologists and scientists in Madagascar."
The equipment donated to the ADFA included: 4 x microscopes with video equipment to attach to a monitor, two centrifuges, an incubator, histology (H/E) stainer, a gastrolyser and PCR equipment.
Clinical Labs was also able to help ADFA source and supply much needed medications for a range of common ailments that are easy to treat in Australia such as bacterial infections , blood pressure, Hepatitis B or C, blood and other parasitic infestations, sexually transmitted diseases and surgical pain killers.
