In June, 2012, three specialists from two Spanish Hospitals visited us with a double objective: to participate in a medical forum on common and nosocommial infections and to give a course on hemathology and microbiology for laboratory technicians, both organized by Saint Joseph´s Catholic Hospital in its premises.

The lecturers were Dr. Aurelio Velasco, Medical Microbiologist at Saint Charles Clinic Hospital, Madrid, Spain; Dr. Mónica Chávez, Medical Microbiologist at the Saint John of God Hospital of Aljarafe, Seville, Spain; and Dr Irene Jara, Medical Hematologist at the same center. They were assisted by Antonio Galloso, Lab Technician at Hospital San Juan de Dios de Aljarafe.

Dr. Velasco started coming to our Hospital in the 90s, and since then he has been helping our Lab technicians every year during his holidays, in an inmensely generous labour which we are so grateful for.

The general aims of Saint Joseph´s Catholic Hospital were:

• To improve our Lab technicians expertise and update their knowledges.
• To give specific training in different Lab techniques.
• To collaborate in the improvement of Liberian professionals and students´ competence giving them the opportunityto to receive quality training.

Subjects

Medical Forum on common and nosocommial infections

The Microbiologist point of view

• Pneumonia
• Urinary Tract Infections
• Infectious Diarrhea
• Nosocomial Infections and Control

Microbiology

Importance of the way samples are taken

• Reviewing the way of take the samples
• Conservation and transport
• Elaborating a protocol

Smears

Bacterias culture

• Reviewing the streak technologies and the culture
• Interpretation of the plates
• Identification of the bacterias
• Reviewing the biochemistry tests

Antimicrobial tests

• Reviewing the antimicrobial tests
• Reviewing the antibiotics tested
• Reviewing the interpretation of the antimicrobial tests

Empiric antibiotics protocols

• Studying the antimicrobial resistance of the area
• Reviewing the empiric antibiotics protocols

Haemathology

Smears

• MayGrunwald Giemsa 
• Evaluating the morphology of terithrocytes
• Diagnostic of the different anemias
• Evaluate the morphology of the white cells
• Manual count of platelets

Cresil blue

• Counting the reticulocytes

Blood Bank

• ABO and Rh groups
• Crossmatching tests

Attendants

• 58 people: 5 doctors, 7 Lab technicians, 2 physician assistants, 32 medical students and 12 Lab students.
• From: Saint Joseph´s Catholic Hospital, ASC Lab, A. M. Dogliotti School of Medicine (University of Liberia) and Mother Patern School of Health Sciences (Stella Maris Polythecnic).