From 12th to 16th September 2026, the National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory (NTRL) hosted a five-day benchmarking training at its Butabika facility for a delegation from Kibongoto, Tanzania. The visit gave the team a first-hand look at how Uganda runs its TB laboratory network, with a focus on External Quality Assessment (EQA) and proficiency testing (PT).

Learning from Uganda’s experience

The week opened with welcome remarks, an introduction to the training objectives, and a tour of the NTRL facility with a briefing on biosafety precautions. Sessions then covered the epidemiology of tuberculosis and diagnostic needs, led by Prof. Moses Joloba, Director of NTRL, alongside Uganda’s journey in building supranational reference laboratory (SRL) capacity, the lessons learned, and how to sustain it. Participants also explored laboratory management, the roles of the NTRL and TB programme managers in EQA, and considerations for introducing new point-of-care tests (NPOCs).

Building a proficiency testing programme

The second day focused on the foundations of a proficiency testing programme:

• Considerations for setting up a PT programme, and defining PT scope and scheme management
• Establishing a PT team and defining human resource roles and responsibilities
• Quality management systems and accreditation (ISO 15189:2022 and ISO 17043:2023)
• TB laboratory information management systems (LIS) and programmatic data management
• Practical sessions on EQA considerations.

Seeing it work in the field

On days three and four, the delegation moved from the classroom to the field. At the Entebbe hub and its spoke facilities, they saw how the integrated sample referral system supports EQA activities, including EQA receipt, reporting, return of results, and follow-up of unsatisfactory performance. At Mulago Wards 5 and 6, they observed EQA receipt, reporting and results return at testing facilities, with a demonstration of the PT system in practice.

From learning to action

The final day covered PT data management and the functionalities of the PT system, followed by a presentation on action management. Participants then presented their action plans for discussion with all facilitators, setting out how they will take what they learned back to Kibongoto.

NTRL is proud to share its experience with partner laboratories in the region. Strong EQA and proficiency testing systems help ensure accurate, reliable TB results, and that means better care for patients. We thank all facilitators and participants for their commitment and look forward to continued collaboration.