Haramaya University College of Veterinary Medicine inaugurated newly built CVM laboratory at ‘station campus’ on November 20, 2016.
Dr. Biresaw Serda, Dean of College of Veterinary Medicine, welcomed the guests to the inauguration ceremony and said the College has been doing its share to the training and education of producing equipped graduates; the College has graduated nine batches so far. “To teach quality education in animal medical science, having a well-equipped laboratory is a must,” he said. “Besides supporting the teaching-learning process, the lab would also contribute to problem solving researches that would be conducted to address the animal health problems and related issues of the surrounding communities.”
According to Dr. Biresaw, the complex has six major laboratories (Veterinary Microbiology, Veterinary Parasitological, Veterinary Pathology and Histology, Veterinary Anatomy, Veterinary Physiology and Biochemistry, and Veterinary Surgery laboratories) meant for different specialties in the College. It has also its own mini stores, preparation offices and best standard laboratory benches, shelves and tables. Internally the utensils and equipments are arranged by applying the principles of KAIZEN. Thus, it is the first of its kind in the University’s history that can be used as best practice for other sister laboratories at Haramaya.
Having such organized laboratory has its own implication on quality of education helping our graduates to be equipped with required competencies and skills. So far students and instructors were not comfortable with laboratory sessions due to its distance from the campus when it was in the main campus. The materials were also disorganized and misplaced.
It also serves as research laboratory and gives support to nearby community in diagnosis of livestock diseases. This laboratory provides services from simple diagnostic tests to higher level tests and treatment of cases up to operation/surgery. The laboratory has its own real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) machine to be used for graduate students and sophisticated research works in the future.
Prof. Chemeda Fininsa, President of Haramaya University, and Prof. Nigussie Dechassa, Vice-president for Academic Affairs, congratulated the staff members of the College on their commitment and hard work, and asked for continued efforts to better the College. Regarding the maintenance and utilization of the laboratories, Prof. Chemeda said, “Now the first issue is to facilitate and put it (the laboratory) to work. The second and most important thing would be to put it to work and third would be to keep using it and maintain it.”
During the occasion, different stakeholders and community representatives have been invited from east Hararghe zone, Harari region, Haramay woreda and Dire City Administration to be participated in the process of inauguration and to share the resource for better livestock development in the future.
The purchasing of lab equipment and the furnishing costed 8,929,377 Birr in total and this includes laboratory benches, shelves, cabinets, chairs, dissecting and surgery tables, washing basins and round tables. The College is striving to be among the best Veterinary Colleges in the country and working its best level to be referral veterinary laboratory/hospital in Eastern Ethiopia