The new pathological laboratory that was unveiled on Tuesday, 15 January 2019, at the Jui hospital is a collaboration between Sierra Leone and China as both try to improve on disease prevention. Director of the lab, Dr. Liu Zhihong, said pathological study is an indispensable component to developing Sierra Leone China Friendship Hospital (SLCFH) into the best comprehensive hospital in West Africa. “At present, the materials and data on pathological diagnosis, pathological study and tumour-associated diseases are not available in Sierra Leone. So far there is no Pathological Department in the hospital, and some patients are not diagnosed accurately and treated accordingly.” This project, she said, has the following goals; establish a platform of pathological diagnosis and remote diagnosis to accurately diagnose the patients (especially tumour patients) for guiding the normalized treatment; launch on early screening of tumour and obtain such data as morbidity rate of tumours and establish early prevention strategy and early screening system of cancer in Sierra Leone; establish a tumour-related database and even in West Africa, and bring more accurate diagnosis and standardized treatment to the people of Sierra Leone. Dr. Zhihong said from International Health Commission of China, Hunan Cancer Hospital was approved to be the implementation unit of ‘counterpart hospital project of the National Health Commission of China for aiding Sierra Leone and project of remote or pathological diagnosis platform (2017). She said they are here to assist SLCFH in establishing the remote pathological diagnosis platform, transmit back the well-formulated microscopic histological images of pathological section through Internet and provide such services as remote diagnosis even though the Chinese pathological doctors do not reside in the Sierra Leone. “This will essentially change the pattern of no pathological diagnosis in Jui hospital, and obtain relevant specimen, data and materials for research.” “By the cultivation in Hunan cancer hospital, its guidance in Sierra Leone and the remote discussion, the technicians of Sierra Leone are actively trained on the way to prepare the pathological section, and particularly trained and demonstrated in details on the series procedures for pathological section (e.g. specimen obtaining, section, fixation, and staining. etc.).” Dr. Zhihing averred that the contents mainly include cell puncturing and cytological examination; Biopsy of lymph and mass; cytological smear/staining; Histopathological preparation and diagnosis and Remote pathological joint diagnosis. She concluded by saying the histological images displayed by the lens connected with microscope are transmitted clinical data of patients. The opinion of diagnosis and treatment are given. And a unique transnational remote treatment platform is established.
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Friday January 18, 2019.