Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (FURJ) will utilize South to South (S to S) collaboration to provide laboratory expertise and assistance to the MOH to improve national laboratory service capacity in accordance with the National Lab Strategic Plan and the Partnership Framework goals To strengthen the Mozambican health system, including human resources for health through increasing the number of health care and social workers in Mozambique and improving the capacity and quality of pre-service, in-service training, faculty development and post-graduate training and To strengthen laboratory support for HIV diagnosis and management. FURJ will build local capacity within the MOH and the National Institute of Health (INS) to lead and manage the programs that have relied significantly on direct support. A key strategy is to institutionalize programs that have historically been implemented by FURJ staff and provide the assistance needed for INS to use direct funding from CDC to implement lab quality programs. FURJ is strengthening the laboratory system by strengthening the technical capacity of the National Reference Labs, improving pre-service education, supporting lab quality improvement, and developing local mentors to sustain mentorship and support of lab staff working towards accreditation. FURJ currently uses the WHO Afro Laboratory Quality Checklist to monitor progress towards accreditation, but will also implement one or more of the Laboratory Network Performance Assessment Indicators addressing domain areas of Policy, Access, Quality, and Communication. FURJ did not have a significant pipeline and will continue to work to improve efficiency of operating costs.

FURJ will use COP 12 funds to continue laboratory systems strengthening activities and laboratory quality improvement by working at central level to provide TA as well as working at specific laboratory sites which are pursuing laboratory accreditation. FURJ will provide expatriate advisors for this work, but will continue building local capacity and transitioning these activities to local institutions and MOH personnel. FURJ works specifically in 3 areas of systems strengthening.

Quality Improvement FURJ will continue to support SLMTA by providing expatriate mentors and by capacitating local mentors to support laboratory improvement and implementation of standards. FURJ will work with MOH to design an in country mentorship program that can be sustained beyond PEPFAR. FURJ will continue to support the EQA program for biochemistry and work with the MOH to expand the number of labs enrolled to include all central, provincial, general and large rural hospital labs. Improvement in laboratory quality also includes a component of strong collaboration and communication between the laboratory and the clinicians. FURJ will support an annual meeting in clinical and laboratory medicine with an agenda that is developed jointly between lab and clinical staff to provide a forum to discuss cross-cutting issues and build mutual respect and collaboration.

Capacity Building- FURJ will continue providing in service technical training for Mozambican lab staff in Brazil. Starting in 2012, FURJ will work with MOH to establish capacity in the Central Hsp Laboratory to provide this kind of in service training in an atmosphere of good laboratory practice with sufficient supervision and oversight of trainees. FURJ will work to establish a process to follow up this technical training in the labs where trainees will ultimately be placed to ensure the maximal impact of the training. FURJ will support technical working groups where technical staff who have benefited from specialized training will gather together and provide technical guidance for policy and strategy development and then take the lead in implementing new guidelines and strategies in their laboratory and province of employment.

Pre-service training FURJ will provide faculty development by placing professors from Brazil in training institutes to build capacity of local faculty. In addition, FURJ will provide training in Brazil for faculty of lab pre-service course. Through strengthening and supporting pre-service training of laboratory personnel, this IM supports the cross-cutting area of human resources for health. USG funds will support both directly and indirectly the capacitation of 50 new laboratorians in COP year 2012.

FURJ will collaborate with other USG Partners to make use of available resources thus leveraging resources and preventing duplication of activities.