Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) - Médecins Sans Frontières, in cooperation with the Republican AIDS Center, launched a mobile laboratory for rapid testing for a number of infectious diseases. 

The mobile laboratory is designed to facilitate access to testing for HIV, hepatitis C and sexually transmitted infections. It is planned that in the near future the laboratory, which is located in a specially equipped bus, will run on the territory of Tashkent and Tashkent region. In the future, the range of the bus laboratory can be expanded.

“Today’s ceremony kicks off a whole series of important medical events. This mobile laboratory is the first such complex to be used in the Republic of Uzbekistan,” deputy head of the Sanitary and Epidemiological Welfare and Public Health Service Batyr Kurbanov said at the opening ceremony.

“The mobile laboratory can be used in hard-to-reach locations to test individuals who do not yet have direct access to testing. It will certainly assist in the diagnosis of HIV, hepatitis C and sexually transmitted infections, will contribute to the coverage of the population with testing and the rapid provision of medical services,” he said, speaking at the ceremony. 

The director of the Republican AIDS Center Kakhramon Yuldashev also stressed that later this experience can be extended to the whole country.

Médecins Sans Frontières has been providing support in Uzbekistan for 23 years, and the organization has always worked in close cooperation with the Ministry of Health of the country, the Service for Sanitary and Epidemiological Wellbeing and Public Health, and in particular, the Republican Center for Combating AIDS and the Tashkent Center for Combating AIDS, said Andrea Fiori.

“We planned the mobile laboratory as an opportunity to bring testing closer to people. This bus is an opportunity to expand testing to reach more people who need it. As an organization, Médecins Sans Frontières is honored to be here today with our partners. We hope that in the future we will have new opportunities to support this wonderful country,” said head of the office of the Médecins Sans Frontières in Uzbekistan Andrea Fiori.

In addition to testing itself, the tasks of the mobile laboratory include drawing attention to the problem of the spread of HIV, hepatitis C and sexually transmitted infections, as well as educating the population about preventive measures, diagnostics and treatment.

“Express mobile diagnostics is practiced today in many countries of the world. It allows you to quickly diagnose diseases such as, in the case of our laboratory, HIV, hepatitis C and syphilis on the spot. I emphasize that testing is carried out anonymously, promptly and efficiently, at a high level. Thus, it becomes possible, if necessary, to promptly redirect patients to medical institutions,” says Dilorom Babakhodjaeva, a doctor at Doctors Without Borders.

The mobile laboratory can be operated in any climatic conditions, providing a high level of comfort for both medical personnel and patients, as well as high accuracy of research and compliance with sanitary and hygienic and epidemiological requirements. The introduction of mobile laboratories will expand the coverage of the population with testing and timely medical care.

The mobile laboratory is equipped with the necessary medical supplies for rapid testing. Her team will consist of a doctor and a nurse (or laboratory assistant).