/countries/nepal/training-on-basic-mycology-culture-and-antifungal-susceptibility-testing-(afst)-for-laboratory-workers-(selected-hospitals)_31-march_compressed.png?sfvrsn=76d24480_4 "Training on basic mycology culture and Antifungal Susceptibility Testing (AFST) for laboratory workers (Selected hospitals)_31 March_Compressed")
Kathmandu, Bagmati province - The National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL), under the Ministry of Health and Population, with support from WHO Country Office for Nepal and The Pandemic Fund, conducted trainings on basic mycology culture and antifungal susceptibility testing (AFST) between 31 March-10 April 2026. The trainings, held in two batches, trained 18 microbiologists and laboratory technologists from NPHL and selected hospitals. The training upgraded the participants’ skills to identify fungal pathogens, perform antifungal sensibility testing (AFST) to support clinical decision-making and strengthen surveillance of fungal priority pathogens. The programme also enhanced participants’ skills in result interpretation, reporting and AFST data management, and oriented them on the WHO Fungal Priority Pathogen List and GLASS Fungal-AMR reporting requirements. Aligned with the National Action Plan on AMR, this initiative reinforces Nepal’s commitment to global AMR containment by strengthening laboratory and surveillance systems. Through hands-on learning, these trainings will contribute to strengthening laboratory capacity to generate antifungal resistance data, supporting antimicrobial stewardship, improved patient outcomes and informed policies. WHO will now support the integration of fungal AMR data into the national AMR surveillance programme and its subsequent reporting to the WHO GLASS-Fungi platform.