Information on the completion of Phare 2003-004-995-03-07
–Strengthening the Surveillance and Control of Communicable Diseases in the Slovak Republic
On 5 October, the final conference of the project was held at the conference premises of the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic Strengthening the surveillance and control of infectious diseases in the Slovak Republic, whose final beneficiary was the Public Health Office of the Slovak Republic
The aim of the project was to implement EC legislation on surveillance and control of infectious diseases. The target was met. Since 2003, 4 expert guidelines on communicable diseases have been adopted, published in the Slovak Ministry of Health Bulletin. Another objective of the project was to strengthen the surveillance of infectious diseases by improving and modernising administrative and performance capacities and integrating the surveillance of infectious diseases into European Union networks.
The project consisted of the following three components:
I. Harmonisation of the system for surveillance of infectious diseases with the system in EU countries. Modernisation of the Rapid Alert System
II. Extension and accreditation of the ERC network
III. Introduction of external quality assessment of clinical microbiology laboratories
Project results:
An information system has been developed for communicable diseases of Episodes harmonised with EU countries. The Rapid Alert System has been modernised, which has so far exchanged information by fax.
Slovakia has been actively involved in European networks for surveillance of communicable diseases. At the end of the project cooperates actively in 12 networks, compared to three at the beginning of the project.
The level of laboratory diagnostics in the National Reference Centres (NRCs) has been evaluated, new laboratory methods for disease diagnosis have been implemented, thus contributing to strengthening the surveillance of communicable diseases and the harmonisation of the laboratory methods of the NRC included in the project with the ERC in EU countries. The MDG has undergone an accreditation process. In order to achieve these objectives, a working group was set up to discuss, at its regular meetings, problems with the introduction of new methods and accreditation with expert support from 4 Dutch short-term experts.

Standard procedures have been developed for the external evaluation of the quality of the work of the laboratories of clinical microbiology by the MDG laboratories and a pilot external quality assessment project has been carried out.

Presentations made at the final conference

ZPhare project evaluation No 2003-004-995-03-07 Strengthening surveillance and control of infectious diseases in Slovakia
(GP material dated 22.01.2007)