In the global fight against tuberculosis, accuracy is everything. A missed diagnosis means a missed life. A delayed result means a delayed treatment. And a poorly calibrated machine means that somewhere, a patient receives the wrong answer about one of the most treatable yet most deadly; infectious diseases on the planet.
It is against this backdrop that the Proficiency Testing (PT) Scheme Coordinator at Uganda SRL/NTRL, Mr. Kenneth Kisenyi, took to the front of the training room during Regional EQA Capacity Building Training to lead a focused, hands-on session on Truenat – one of the most promising new molecular diagnostic platforms in the global TB arsenal.
What is Truenat and Why Does It Matter?
Truenat is a WHO-endorsed, battery-operated, chip-based real-time micro PCR platform designed specifically for near point-of-care TB diagnosis. Unlike GeneXpert, which requires stable electricity and controlled environments – Truenat can be deployed in remote, low-resource settings where TB burden is often highest and diagnostic access is most limited.
For countries across East and Southern Africa, where district hospitals and health centres frequently lack reliable power supply, Truenat represents a genuine leap forward bringing molecular-level diagnostic accuracy to settings that previously relied solely on smear microscopy.
The WHO endorsement of Truenat as a near-NPOC (Near Point-of-Care) technology makes it a critical tool in the End TB Strategy, and NTRL’s commitment to training laboratory professionals on its use reflects the laboratory’s role at the cutting edge of Uganda’s TB response.
Kenneth Kisenyi’s Training Session – What Participants Learned
As PT Scheme Coordinator, Mr. Kisenyi brings a unique perspective to Truenat training. His work in proficiency testing means he understands not just how machines work – but how to verify that they are working correctly, consistently, and accurately enough to be trusted with patient results.
During the EQA workshop, participants from across the region received hands-on training covering:
- Truenat MTB and Truenat MTB Plus chip operation and interpretation
- Sample preparation for sputum and non-sputum specimens
- Machine calibration, maintenance, and quality control procedures
- Error identification and troubleshooting in field conditions
- Integration of Truenat results into national TB reporting systems
- External quality assurance approaches for Truenat platforms
- Near-NPOC implementation planning for returning country participants
The session was practical, immersive, and deliberately designed to prepare participants not just to operate the machine but to train others when they return to their own countries and facilities.
EQA as the Backbone of Diagnostic Quality
Mr. Kisenyi’s session sat within the broader framework of the week-long Regional EQA Capacity Building Mentorship; a programme that brought together laboratory managers from 20 countries and TB programme managers at Uganda SRL/NTRL in Kampala, Uganda.
External Quality Assessment is the mechanism through which TB diagnostic systems prove their accuracy. Without EQA, a laboratory may believe it is delivering correct results while quietly producing errors that go undetected; errors that translate directly into missed TB cases, incorrect drug prescriptions, and untreated patients in communities.
By embedding Truenat training within an EQA framework, NTRL is doing something particularly important to not just teaching people to use a new technology. It is teaching them to continuously verify that they are using it correctly, and to build the quality systems that make those verifications sustainable long after the training ends.
The Human Face of TB Diagnostics
Behind every training session, every proficiency test, every calibration check, is a patient. Someone’s father. Someone’s child. Someone waiting for a result that will determine whether they start treatment today or are sent home with the wrong answer.
Mr. Kenneth Kisenyi and the team at NTRL understand this weight. It is why proficiency testing matters. It is why EQA matters. It is why investing in Truenat capacity across Africa matters.
The technology to end TB exists. The training to use it correctly is being delivered. And Uganda SRL/NTRL remains committed to ensuring that every laboratory professional in the region has both the skills and the quality systems to turn that technology into lives saved.
Uganda SRL/NTRL is a WHO-designated Supranational TB Reference Laboratory providing diagnostics, training, external quality assessment, and research services. For information about upcoming training programmes contact training@ntrl.or.ug or call 0800-100-066.
