Skills

  • Laboratory Diagnostic Network Optimization
  • health advocacy and policy
  • Leadership & Project Management
  • Laboratory Health systems strengthening
  • Disease Surveillance
  • Laboratory Qualityb management systems (SLMTA)
  • Quality Assurance
  • continuous Quality improvement
  • commodities/Supplies management
  • project proposal writing
  • data visualization techniques
  • problem solving

Recommendations

Nsiimenta Edigar

 10/24/2022
10

"He has strong training, leadership, Management, teamwork and interpersonal skills with public health knowledge and strong project development and management skills."

Experience

Solomon OKOT

Work experience
  • Provided tailored technical assistance (TA) capacity and coordinated critical laboratory quality assurance and testing access reforms to improve the availability, use, and quality for diagnostics (including HIV self-testing, HIV recency, Gene Xpert, Truenat and TB-Lamp), treatment and monitoring of HIV/AIDS, TB and other diseases of public health importance through training and mentorships resulting in scaling up HIV recency testing from 2 health facilities to 161, Lab QA participation and pass rates from 85.8% to now 98.7%, accreditation of Pallisa Hub and improvement in viral load access from 87% to 94%.
  • Took lead in preparations of work plans and budgets, project proposals and continuation of application, quarterly project reports and Narrative writing, and Coordinate dissemination of performance at 15 Districts (161 health facilities) and national level.
  • I over saw International accreditation of Pallisa Hospital Laboratory and Surveillance of Mable and Tororo hub Labs by South African national accreditation systems (SANAS) and certification of 4 hub Labs by African society of Laboratory medicine (ASLM) through training, targeted onsite mentorship and exchange learning in collaboration with Uganda National health Laboratory services (UNHLS).
  • Led dialogues with USAID and other implementing partners, Ministry of health -Uganda and district stakeholders to build consensus on implementation of Laboratory strengthening program through government of Uganda primary health care (PHC) package.
  • Build capacity of 7 Hubs in the region through review of laboratory networks and sample referral systems in line with the National Integrated samples and results network (NSRN), support hubs with fuel, servicing, airtime and internet data to link laboratory samples from 161 peripheral sites to testing laboratories.
  • Took lead in Lead Lab assessment of existing laboratory services, including functionality of laboratory equipment, with regard to performing recency testing, Early Infant Diagnosis (EID), CD4 testing for advanced HIV disease, taking quality Dried Blood Spot (DBS) for Viral load testing for VL/EID and Gene Xpert MTB RIF assay, and tailor laboratory systems strengthening support based on site-specific gaps and needs.

Solomon OKOT

Work experience
  • Overall: Provided tailored technical assistance (TA) using data analytics, operational research, networking/partnership and capacity building to achieve key project outcomes in Viral load coverage and suppression, Advanced HIV disease management laboratory networks, Strengthening Laboratory Management Toward Accreditation (SLMTA/SLIPTA), Hub systems, Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS), biosafety and biosecurity, laboratory diagnostic integration and monitoring through collaboration and partnership with Ministry of health Uganda (UNHLS, NTLP, UVRI).
  • Key achievements:
  • I over saw capacity building of 78 Laboratory personnel through SLMTA training, targeted onsite mentorship, exchange visits, and technical oversight in 7 SLMTA sites in collaboration with UNHLS resulting in accreditation of 7 hubs by South African national accreditation systems (SANAS) after achieving star III and IV of SLIPTA- AFRO standard.
  • I over saw and facilitated optimization and access to Lab tests in Rwenzori region, Uganda from 57% to 94%, shortened TAT for results from 5 to 2 weeks, viral load rejection rates from 5.3% to 0.6%,Gene Xpert utilization rates at 14 sites from 3.7% to 79.5% and HIV recency testing in 38 sites using Hub systems, mentorships, Laboratory-Clinicians interface, scale up of electronic results printing and delivery (ERD) to 45 sites, weekly dashboard reviews, and CQI approaches in partnerships with district technical working groups (TWGs) and UNHLS/NTRL teams.
  • I facilitated capacity building through trainings and mentorships of 289 district Lab staffs in accurate forecasting, quantification and redistribution of lab supplies in partnership with National ware houses (NMS/JMS/MAUL), District Laboratory focal persons (DLFPs) and Hub coordinators to improve management of Laboratory supplies leading to a reduction of stock outs rates from 11.9% to 1.2%. Additionally, operationalized LAB-SPARS in the two districts of Kyenjojo and Kyegegwa through partnership with Management science for health (MSH).
  • I supported MOH/UNHLS and participated in the development of Hub samples transport network policy, Uganda revised HIV guidelines 2018, SLMTA mentorship module and bench marked Quality improvement in 89 laboratories using Laboratory Quality Management Systems (LQMS) and Site Improvement Systems (SIMS).
  • I advocated to dramatically increase district ownership of Laboratory services through creation of 9 District technical assistance teams (TATs), strengthened Laboratory Information management systems (LIMS) in the seven hubs and reporting of Laboratory indicators in 145 health facilities in the District health information systems (DHIS-2).
  • Facilitated and managed critical laboratory quality assurance reforms (RBF) that helped expand quality assurance program, including on-site evaluations, internal audits and customer surveys resulting in enrolment of 672 testers from 145 sites for HIV proficiency testing (HIV-PT),98 sites for TB EQA,7 hubs for UKNEQAS with a pass rate of 100% in gene Xpert, 99.4% in TB EQA and 98.7% for HIV-PT.
  • Build capacity and resilient leadership of 9 District laboratory focal persons (DLFPs) and 7 coordinators and advocated for Laboratory infrastructure, and mentored 249 facility laboratory personnel on LQMS and lab equipment maintenance in liaison with UNHLS and equipment service providers.
  • Represented the project team at technical/stakeholder forums with the national/MOH, the donor institutions (CDC/PEPFAR) and other implementing partners on laboratory related matters.

Related persons

Nsiimenta Edigar

 10/24/2022
10

"He has strong training, leadership, Management, teamwork and interpersonal skills with public health knowledge and strong project development and management skills."