Laboratory services are an essential component in the diagnosis and treatment of persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus, malaria, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Presently, laboratory infrastructure and test quality for all types of clinical laboratories remains weak. Quality laboratory service is useful for increased disease detection, effective patient management, and rational drug use.

A cross-sectional survey to ascertain the capacity of laboratory persons in using ICTs was conducted in 15 Ugandan districts (July-August 2013).

Uganda scaled-up Early HIV Infant Diagnosis (EID) when simplified methods for testing of infants using dried blood spots (DBS) were adopted in 2006 and sample transport and management was therefore made feasible in rural settings.

There is a significant increase in survival for HIV-infected children who have early access to diagnosis and treatment. The goal of this multi-country review was to examine when and where HIV-exposed infants and children are being diagnosed, and whether the EID service is being maximally utilized to improve health outcomes for HIV-exposed children.

ICT Standard Operating Guidelines and Procedures Manual. This document consists of guidelines that take on the following:

• ICT Back ups
• ICT System Access Control
• Contingency Planning

A Hub is a centralized health facility with a laboratory that performs the routine diagnostic services to patients and provides specialized services of collecting laboratory referral samples as well as testing some of them from other laboratories or health facilities within its catchment area. The different samples transported and processed within the referral network include Early Infant Diagnosis of HIV Dry Blood Spot, TB sputum, Histopathology, Surveillance, Outbreak Investigations, External Quality Control panels, Sickle cell, CD4, Viral load and many more.

The first survey on sickle cell disease (SCD) done in Uganda in 1949, reported the district of Bundibugyo in Western Uganda to have the highest sickle cell trait (SCT) prevalence (45%). This is believed to be the highest in the whole world. According to the same survey, the prevalence of SCT in the districts of Mbale and Sironko in the East was 20-28%, whilst the districts of Mbarara and Ntungamo in the West had 1-5%. No follow-up surveys have been conducted over the past 60 years. SCA accounts for approximately 16.2% of all pediatric deaths in Uganda.