Strengthening Laboratory Capacity to Improve the Availability and Accuracy of COVID-19 Diagnosis

• Country: Peru
• Summary: Strengthening Laboratory Capacity to Improve the Availability and Accuracy of COVID-19 Diagnosis
• PET Ref No: 65129582
• Deadline: 15 Apr 2022
• Financier: Self Financed
• Purchaser Ownership: Government
• Tender Value: Refer Document
• Notice Type: Tender
• Document Ref. No.:
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• Description:
• Tenders are invited for Strengthening Laboratory Capacity to Improve the Availability and Accuracy of COVID-19 Diagnosis in Peru. The Local Health System Sustainability Project (LHSS) helps low- and middle-income countries transition to sustainable, self-financing health systems as a means to support universal health coverage. The project works with partner countries and local stakeholders to reduce financial barriers to care and treatment, ensure equitable access to essential health services for all people, and improve the quality of health services. Peru has been one of the most affected countries in Latin America by the COVID-19 pandemic. The national response to COVID-19 has been complicated by a fragmented health sector, with poorly responsive primary health care and very limited capacity for intensive care. In addition, the high level of informal labor has prevented many people from adhering to government-imposed preventive measures, leading to continued transmission. One of the key aspects of the response to the pandemic is diagnostic capacity and laboratory surveillance. In Peru, during the first months of the pandemic, the diagnosis of COVID-19 was only made through molecular tests at the National Institute of Health (NIH), which is in charge of leading the network of public health laboratories. Gradually this capacity was expanded and by 2022 there are 124 laboratories that have been authorized to carry out molecular tests, all of them located in Lima, capital of the country, and in the capitals of the departments. Of these, 5 belong to the National Institute of Health (NIH); another 52 are located in the Regional Health Directorates, public hospitals and EsSalud1 hospitals; 6 belong to universities; and 61 are private laboratories. Samples for molecular tests are taken in health facilities throughout the country, from which they are transported to authorized laboratories. The proliferation of cases has led to an immediate need to increase sample collection and test processing at national and regional public health laboratories. Although a careful evaluation of the quality of the sampling and the conditions of transport has not been carried out, it is known that there are deficiencies in the taking of samples, inadequate biosecurity, disruption of the cold chain, among other problems that could affect the diagnosis. 1 EsSalud: Social Health Insurance. In addition, quality control of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests has not yet been implemented in regional public health laboratories and testing capacity in university laboratories has not yet been utilized. Between the notification of the first case of COVID-19 in Peru in March 2020 and the first week of February 2022, samples from 26 million people have been analyzed and 3.4 million cases have been diagnosed, of which 1 million have been diagnosed by PCR2 and 15 thousand genomes have been sequenced3. Only 380 genetic sequencings are carried out weekly in the NIH laboratories, plus a smaller number in the laboratory of a private university in Lima. The European Commission has urged countries to increase the rate of genomic sequencing to identify the progression of variants or detect new ones. Member States were asked to sequence at least 5%, and preferably 10%, of positive COVID-19 test results, minimize delays in results and ensure that this data is shared, so that comparisons can be made4. In Peru, during the last weeks the average number of positive tests is 20,000 per week, so following the recommendations of the EC, it would be necessary to carry out at least 1,000 sequencings per week. As can be seen, the genomic sequencing capacity is limited. In this context, LHSS will provide technical support to national laboratories and in selected regions to strengthen and ensure equitable access to COVID-19 diagnostic capacity. LHSS held initial discussions with the National Institute of Health to identify priority needs to improve testing and processing of COVID-19 samples, focusing on increasing diagnostic accuracy and results turnaround time. Therefore, technical cooperation will be aimed to achieving improvements in three aspects: collection and transport of samples; PCR quality control; and scale-up of genomic sequencing. How to apply: Please view full RFP here: bit.ly/3qWhdOa 1. POINT OF CONTACT Proposal should be submitted electronically via email to no later than 8:00 pm (ET) on April 15, 2022, to: Victor_Llontop@abtassoc.com with a copy to Jeannine_williams@abtassoc.com. 2. QUESTIONS Questions must be submitted in writing to: Edgardo Nepo at Edgardo_Nepo@abtassoc.com by 2.00 p.m. (ET) on April 8, 2022.
• Documents:

 Tender Notice