The Role of Private Medical Laboratories in Combating the Challenges of Anti-Microbial Resistance.

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) means microbes survive exposure to antimicrobials and become resistant. AMR is a growing public health concern and was recognized as a global health security threat at the 68th World Health Assembly in May 2015. A Global Action Plan (GAP) was adopted by the member states that requested them to participate in the Global Antimicrobial Surveillance System (GLASS). The goal of GLASS is to enable standardized, comparable, and validated data on AMR to be collected, analyzed, and shared with countries, to inform decision-making, drive local, national, and regional action, and provide the evidence base for action and advocacy. Countries need to ensure that the network of National Reference Laboratories (NRL) and sentinel sites meets standard AMR testing requirements. There is, however, a wide range of readiness between the rich and resource-poor countries in the world in achieving this.

Weak laboratory systems and lack of access to effective antimicrobials is still a huge issue in many Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC). The burden of Covid-19 pandemic has placed increased demand on the overstretched laboratory systems in LMICs. Gaps in the implementation of Covid-19 mitigation measures in these countries have also been shown to promote the development of new strains of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens. There is therefore a dare need for the enhanced Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) in the laboratory systems of these countries for effective in-vitro diagnosis, research, and development of vaccines to combat the challenges of both Covid-19 pandemic and AMR catastrophe.

Nigeria, through the National Center for disease Control (NCDC) invested significantly in establishing AMR surveillance system in the country. With further support from development partners, particularly the Fleming Fund Country Grant by the United Kingdom Department of Health and Social Services, a One-Health platform for AMR surveillance is strengthened. In the recent Covid-19 pandemic response, the private sector plays a significant role in Nigeria’s Presidential Advisory Committee on Covid-19. A significant proportion of private sector laboratories were engaged in the response. It, therefore, suggests a synergy of PPP in enhancing the operationalization and sustainability of Covid-19 and AMR surveillance.

The private medical laboratory sector needs to be adequately positioned as stakeholders in the National AMR surveillance structure for an expanded engagement in effective AMR surveillance systems. The private sector in a medical laboratory is indeed a rich Resource in establishing of Public-Private Partnership in tackling AMR, vaccine production, and In-Vitro Diagnostics in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC).