 | |
 Stack Medical Research Laboratories in 1937[1] | |
Former name | Stack Medical Research Laboratories (until April 1969) |
|---|---|
| Established | 1927; 98 years ago (1927) |
Laboratory type | Public health laboratory |
Field of research | Medical |
| Director | Shahinaz Ahmed Bedri |
| Location | Khartoum,Khartoum State, Sudan 15°35′50″N32°31′52″E / 15.59722°N 32.53111°E /15.59722; 32.53111 |
| Nickname | Stack Laboratory (Arabic:معمل استاك)[1] |
| Affiliations | Ministry of Health Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum |
| Website | www |
| Map | |
  Location in Khartoum | |
TheNational Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) (Arabic:المعمل القومي للصحة العامة) is a public health laboratory in Sudan that was previously known as theStack Medical Research Laboratories (Arabic:معمل استاك للبحوث الطبية) from its inception in 1927 until April 1969. The name Stack Medical Research Laboratories referred toLee Stack, aGovernor-General ofAnglo-Egyptian Sudan. Directors including Eric S. Horgan,Robert Kirk, andMansour Ali Haseeb developed research programs on endemic diseases includingleishmaniasis,yellow fever, andsmallpox vaccine development.
In 1969, the name changed to National Public Health Laboratories, by which time it was a significant medical research hub, affiliated with the Sudan Medical Research Council. The laboratory's role expanded to conducting diagnostics, vaccine production, and research onmalaria and yellow fever. The laboratory is a centre for medical education, training, and research. In the 2020s, the laboratory faced severe challenges during theSudanese revolution and theSudanese civil war, forcing a relocation toPort Sudan due to war-induced destruction.
The National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) occupies a distinguished location in the heart of the capital,Khartoum, spread over a large area, bordered to the west by the Sudan Railway headquarters, to the west by theRepublican Palace Street in central Khartoum, and to the north it is adjacent to theKhartoum Teaching Hospital and the KhartoumOncology Hospital.[2]
The Stack Medical Research Laboratories were a branch of the Wellcome Tropical Research Laboratories (1903–1935),[3][4][5] and were established in 1927[note 1] to honour SirLee Stack,[7] a British Army officer andGovernor-General of the Anglo-Egyptian occupation of Sudan between 1917 and until he was assassinated in 1924.[8] Funded by a grant of 24,000Egyptian pounds from the Sir Lee Stack Indemnity Fund Committee, the laboratories were equipped to conduct research addressing the country's public health issues.[7]
The laboratory initially housed the bacteriological unit of the Wellcome Tropical Research Laboratories, later becoming an essential part of the Sudan Medical Service by 1 April 1935, with Eric S. Horgan serving as assistant director of Research.[9] The laboratory was part of the Wellcome Chemical Laboratories and theMedical Entomology atWad Medani that formed a trio in medical research.[7]
In 1949, Horgan retired from his position and was replaced byRobert Kirk who received the Chalmers Medal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in 1943.[7] The same year witnesses the creation of theSudanese Ministry of Health [ar].[10] Kirk's research mainly focused on prevalent Sudanese diseases likeleishmaniasis,relapsing fever, and yellow fever. He later became a full-time professor of pathology at theFaculty of Medicine in the University of Khartoum in 1952 was succeeded byMansour Ali Haseeb who became the first Sudanese director of the laboratory.[7]
Haseeb, who is considered the "Godfather Of Sudan's Laboratory Medicine",[11][12][13] conducted research on various endemic diseases and collaborated on successful experiments regarding smallpox vaccine production.[14] Together with researchers from theRockefeller Foundation, Haseeb conducted serological surveys on yellow fever in 1954.[15] Haseeb also introduced a unified policy for training laboratory assistants across the country and the initiation of a technician training program in 1953.[7] In 1960, the United StatesNaval Medical Research Unit Three initiated a comprehensive investigation onvisceral leishmaniasis in theBahr El Ghazal Province, which continued until 1964.[7]
In 1963, Haseeb left Stack to become a professor of Microbiology and Parasitology,[16][17] and the first Sudanese Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Khartoum.[18][19] He was succeeded byMohamed Hamad Satti.[16][17] Satti conducted extensive studies on leishmaniasis,hepatitis A, and various other prevailing diseases. Within the laboratories, he formulated plans for trainingBachelor of Science graduates in the United Kingdom in biomedical subjects such as schistosomiasis and entomology. Theses produced by these graduates, along with others, were beneficial for research initiatives supported by the Sudanese Ministry of Health.[7]
In 1968,[17] Satti was replaced by Mahmoud Abdel Rahman Ziada, who engaged in research and standard procedures at the laboratory until their relocation to the newly constructed facilities named The National Health Laboratory in April 1969. Ziada served as director until 1973.[7]
Plans to expand and reorganise the Stack Medical Research Laboratories started in the 1960s with construction starting in 1964. The National Public Health Laboratories commenced operations in April 1969. Situated adjacent to the old Stack Medical Research Laboratories buildings, the new five-story structure spans approximately 9,000 square metres (97,000 sq ft). The construction of these national public health laboratories amounted to a little over two million dollars, funded by the Government.[7]
In 2019, the NPHL announced plans to establish a national policy and standards for laboratories in Sudan, supported by theWorld Health Organization as the laboratory sought WHO recognition for specific diseases and plans widespread quality system training. The initiative involves various sectors and focuses on improving service conditions to retain staff.[20]
During the2018–2019 Sudanese revolution andSudan transition to democracy, protests demanding an inquiry into the 3 June 2019Khartoum massacre continued. The police forcefully dispersed the vigil hosted by the NPHL staff in June 2023. TheSudanese Professionals Association condemned this as "violent brutality," cautioning against harming the country's capabilities.[21]
On 17 March 2022, the Sudanese Doctor Syndicate announced that a force from thesecurity forces stormed, on March 17, the Central Blood Bank at the NPHL, smashed the windows of its doors, terrorised its workers, and stole their phones at gun point.[22][23][24]
The next day Member of theTransitional Sovereignty Council and Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Health Emergencies, Abdel-Baqi Abdel-Qader Al-Zubair, accompanied by the ActingGovernor of Khartoum, Ahmed Othman Hamza, made a visit to the NPHL and asked for the facilities to be protected and secured. He stopped short from condemning the attach and called the attackers as a small faction that does not be represent all regular forces. Abdel Baqi revealed that investigations will clarify those responsible for this action, so that they will be held accountable as a matter of urgency.[23]
The following day, the Resistance Committees at the NPHL joined the Sudanese Resistance Committees' strike. They demand the withdrawal of armed personnel from health facilities, refused services to armed forces, and sought protection laws for medical facilities.[22][25]
On 25 April 2023, during theSudanese civil war, armed forces took control of the NPHL, and expelled its staff responsible for managing biological hazards.[26] The laboratory contained isolates ofpoliovirus,measles virus, andVibrio cholerae; causative agents of the virulent diseasespolio,measles, andcholera, respectively. The WHO representative in Sudan expressed concerns about significant biological risks linked to this situation.[27][28] Furthermore, the WHO highlighted the risk of power outages compromising the containment of biological materials and the storage of blood products.[29]
On 27 August 2023, the WHO delivered essential equipment and resources to the Ministry of Health. This support was aimed at enhancing the capacities of the Public Health Laboratory inPort Sudan,Red Sea State, intending to elevate it to the status of the National Public Health Laboratory. The shift was necessary because the NPHL in Khartoum had been non-operational since April 2023 due to the conflict. The laboratory's vital functions are crucial, especially during the rainy season, when the increased risk of floods and disease outbreaks demands enhanced public health emergency preparedness and response capabilities.[30]
Since 8 September 2023, the NPHL moved from Khartoum to Port Sudan, east of the country, as a result of it being subjected to sabotage and destruction due to the war that has been going on there since last April 15. It has begun analysing and culturingepidemiological samples transferred from other states of the country.[31][32][33]
The NPHL accommodates various departments, includingCentral Blood Bank, bacteriology, pathology, chemical pathology, the Government Analyst laboratories, and the medical entomology sections of the Ministry of Health. Each department within the NPHL contributes, to varying degrees, to research addressing medical issues associated with endemic diseases in Sudan. Additionally, it houses the Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology along with the Department of Pathology from theFaculty of Medicine at the University of Khartoum. TheSudan Medical Research Council, an independent research body established in 1970 following aPresidential Decree, also operates within the laboratory.[7]
Activities at the NPHL encompassed teaching medical students and auxiliary staff, conducting routine diagnostic work and vaccine preparation, and researching endemic and epidemic diseases,[7] such ascoronavirus.[34][35] Research primarily aimed to address specific problems related to endemic diseases or assist in epidemic control measures. Surveys and investigations were conducted on diseases likemalaria,yellow fever,visceral leishmaniasis,cerebrospinal meningitis,smallpox, andtyphoid fever. Routine activities included diagnostic examinations of patient specimens from hospitals and vaccine preparation for diseases such as smallpox,rabies,cholera, andtuberculosis.[36][7] Additionally, educational initiatives included teaching various medical subjects to students at the Faculty of Medicine,University of Khartoum, forensic medicine to police cadets, training laboratory assistants and technicians, and providing laboratory instruction at theKhartoum Nursing College.[7]
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