Thursday, 12 March 2026

Ensuring quality of TB testing is a central pillar of the End TB Strategy. However, the roll-out of external quality assurance programs (EQA) frequently lags the introduction of new Tb diagnostic tools. To address this gap, the Global Laboratory Initiative (GLI) conducted a comprehensive landscape review in 2024, mapping EQA programs for all TB tests; smear microscopy, molecular testing, culture, sequencing and phenotypic drug susceptibility testing. In this session, Dr. Kristin Kremer, GLI core group member and Diagnostics Team Lead at KNCV TB Foundation, provided an overview of the GLI EQA dashboard and the benefits such a centralised portal provides to national TB laboratory managers.