It gives me great pleasure to join you this afternoon for the opening ceremony of the new Mycobacterium laboratory in the Medical Visa Department of Cho Ray Hospital. In the past decade, we have witnessed and experienced remarkable advances in the close collaboration between Cho Ray Hospital and the International Organization for Migration. Today we bare witness again to one of these great achievements in this positive partnership.
In February of 2008 the:CDC IMMIGRATION REQUIREMENTS:Technical Instructions for Tuberculosis Screening and Treatment, was implemented into Viet Nam for US bound migrants.
This was achieved by increasing the Laboratory capacity for TB detection in migration health assessments. Tuberculosis capacity building from the IOM laboratory services has been an ongoing achievement in Viet Nam. The dedication and willingness of IOM to share the knowledge and expertise in laboratory support and to provide specialized training and development is something that we are proud.
The IOM support to CRH in the past years can be seen through the facilitated donations of various equipment and the presences of an international staff member. Through this we have seen improvements in laboratory testing and implementations of quality assurance principles to achieve quality results.
We wish to thank CRH for their ongoing support for allowing IOM to assist in quality control supervision as this fulfills IOM’s and the United States: Center of Disease Control requirements to ensure international laboratory standards are met. The opening of CRH Mycobacterium laboratory is indeed timely as we IOM see opportunities to even greater challenges to the every increasing demand for TB detection and capacity building in the greater Vietnamese community. It is gratifying to see Cho Ray Hospital has taken a step forward in expanding the uses of the new mycobacterium laboratory in TB infection control for the out patient department.
Our gathering here today has been marked by the positive commitment to the future and a strengthening collaboration as to benefit us both and ensure safe migration for benefit of all. In closing, I would like to congratulate both CRH and IOM on the successful development of the new Mycobacterium laboratory which yet again marks another significant milestone in our ongoing collaboration . I wish you every success for the future.
