Professor Khalid Al-Harbi, chairman of the Saudi Society for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (SSCLS), officially inaugurated 2019 Saudi Laboratory and Diagnostics Congress on Sunday, the first gathering of laboratory and diagnostics professionals in Jeddah, organized by Maarefah Management. The event closed on Tuesday.
More than 250 laboratory and diagnostics industry professionals and health care providers participated in the three-day congress, providing an important platform for regional and international medical laboratory professionals to discuss trends and technologies that will impact the Saudi health care sector in the run-up to 2030.
“This event is an important platform for laboratory and diagnostics sector professionals in the Kingdom to discuss best practices and international standards in the detection and prevention of diseases. We aim to spread knowledge and help health professionals around the country, as well as to support the Kingdom’s Vision 2030,” said Al-Harbi, who is also the chairman of the congress, in his opening speech.
The region’s clinical laboratory services market is estimated to be worth around $8 to $10 billion, and Colliers International predicts MENA to grow at a CAGR of six to eight percent until 2025.
The event discussed topics including efficient lab management tools, quality indicators and guidelines, total lab automation and its impact on efficiency and patient safety, the fundamental role of effective diagnostic tools in blood banks, and managing a successful point-of-care testing unit.
The three-day event was officially supported by Saudi Society for Clinical Laboratories and Saudi Society for Clinical Chemistry as strategic partners and was sponsored by leading organizations, such as AMPC, Salehiya Trading Company, and Neuberg Diagnostics.
