ShareKUWAIT: Minister of Health Dr Ahmad Al-Awadhi inaugurated the Public Health Laboratory for Viruses, the first of its kind in the world, making Kuwait the first country to utilize electronic connectivity and information systems with advanced systems. Minister Al-Awadhi told the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) on Sunday, during the inauguration, that the laboratory receives all samples from the Ministries of Interior and Defense, as well as expatriate labor examinations, food handlers’ examinations, the Medical Council and marriage examinations.
He explained that the laboratory, a reference for both government and private sectors, receives about 10,000 samples daily from various entities and private and public hospitals for virus examinations, noting that in the past, samples were handled semi-manually. Now they will be processed through devices provided by the ministry. He stated that through these devices, samples will be received, processed, and results will be obtained without any human intervention, which will reduce errors, increase the accuracy of results, and improve the quality of health services provided.
He pointed out the community partnership with the private sector to provide medical devices that comply with the highest international standards to ensure safety and quality, noting that the launch of this laboratory is a significant step towards achieving a qualitative shift in the ministry regarding quality and care. For her part, Head of Public Health Laboratories Dr Sarah Al-Qabandi stated in a similar statement to (KUNA) that health laboratories are the reference for Kuwait and encompass several laboratories.
Al-Qabandi indicated that the laboratory employs the world’s first automatic system, which utilizes modern and accurate technologies to follow up on samples automatically without manual intervention, in addition to electronically tracking blood test samples from their withdrawal until they reach the laboratory and results are issued. She emphasized the accuracy of the electronic system used in the laboratory, which will help track samples from withdrawal until results appear, reducing human errors and increasing the speed of obtaining results.
For his part, the agent of the company implementing the project, Faisal Al-Muajjel, stated in a similar statement to (KUNA) that the project includes connecting five systems to the innovative automatic GLP system for the first time in the world. This system provides proven technology with increased flexibility and options to achieve the goals of public health laboratories. Al-Muajjel pointed out that this system offers the latest technologies for accurate diagnosis of epidemic cases with high efficiency in a smaller space compared to other available systems.
The systems are advanced in terms of speed and efficiency in examining and diagnosing epidemic diseases, emphasizing that the project will contribute to strengthening Kuwait’s position as a regional and international health reference. He explained that the project will provide solutions for the transfer of samples between healthcare centers and the central health laboratory using the Index or system, which allows full tracking of the location, temperature and safety of samples through comprehensive information panels from the time of sample collection, transportation, reception, and laboratory analysis until storage and easy access to the samples. — KUNA
