Next Sunday, the Minister of Health, Mr. Ahmed bin Aqeel Alkhateeb, will launch the National Health Laboratory in Banban neighborhood, north of Riyadh. On this occasion, His Excellency has expressed his deep appreciation to the valuable support granted by our wise leadership to the health sector, and the ongoing efforts to provide the proper healthcare to the citizens and residents. He voiced his wish for this laboratory to contribute to supporting the health work journey in our precious country, and fulfill the needs of the citizens.
On his part, the Deputy Minister of Health for Laboratories and Blood Banks, Dr. Ibrahim Abdulaziz Alomar, explained that the global central laboratory is considered the first of its kind in the Kingdom and Middle East. This project provides advanced laboratory services from both 3rd and 4th international levels. It aims to provide diagnostic support to the infectious and non-infectious diseases related to the public health, serve as a reference center to the advanced clinical laboratory tests, and conduct medical and scientific research related to the public health. The mission assigned to the center is to support the public health in the Kingdom by offering quick response, providing high-quality clinical tests, participating in local and global surveillance networks, in addition to improving the health services and laboratories in both public and private sectors.
Dr. Alomar indicated that the National Laboratory stretches on an area of 67675 square meters, with a total cost of SR 385 million. It consists of 6 main wards, as well as several buildings annexed to it, like the administrative building, a hall accommodating 500 seats, and the services buildings. He mentioned that levels of biological safety shall be bolstered in some of the laboratory's wards by designing and constructing laboratories with the 3rd and 4th levels of safety to cope with the world-class laboratories and centers.