The World Health Organization (WHO) has renewed its accreditation of the Saudi National Polio Laboratory for the year 2012. This renewal is based on a visit formerly paid by Homayoun, the youngest coordinator of the Regional Polio Laboratories at the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, from 10 to 14 March, 2012, to evaluate the laboratory. It is also based on the comprehensive review of the laboratory's activity over the past twelve months.
For his part, the director of the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Dr. Alaeddin Al-Elwan, congratulated the Kingdom on this occasion. He said, “Over the past twelve months, the National Polio Laboratory has maintained an excellent level of quality, and got the final grades in all the standards prescribed by WHO. Therefore, the Laboratory aptly deserved this accreditation.” He also congratulated all laboratory's workers for their outstanding performance. Meanwhile, he commended the colossal contributions of the Ministry of Health (MOH) meant to enhance the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
As a matter of fact, the renewal of the WHO's accreditation of the National Polio Laboratory reflects the tremendous development of the Kingdom's laboratories and blood banks, and embodies the strenuous efforts exerted to obtain the world's highest accreditations, seeking to provide best-quality health services for the Saudi people. It came as no surprise, then, that the National Polio Laboratory has got the final grade of quality assurance. Thus, it has become developed into a reference laboratory in polio throughout the Middle East.