The greatest challenge facing UAE medical laboratories today is a lack of standardisation. So says Dr Mashal D Al-Nawab, Head of Services at Clinical Pathology Services (CPS), a Dubai-based company that has the only purpose-built, privately owned, stand-alone, reference medical laboratory for human pathology testing in the UAE.

According to Dr Al-Nawab, with so-called ‘kitchen laboratory’ practices – where clinical groups use a kitchen-like sink to dispose of toxic and non-toxic waste products – still in existence in the region, laboratory medicine is lagging behind the growing transformation of the healthcare system in the UAE, which is increasingly focused on early detection of disease.

In an effort to rectify this situation, and bring all aspects of healthcare in the emirate into the twenty-first century, the Dubai Department of Health and Medical Services (DOHMS) published a set of strict standards in September 2007 to govern the performance of medical laboratories in Dubai, and as of 1 September 2008 all medical laboratories in Dubai are obliged to adhere to these standards. This bold move is in line with the vision of the Dubai Leadership, as expressed in the Dubai Strategic Plan 2007–15, and is supported by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) which is charged to ensure their full implementation.

Laboratory services are one of the most important diagnostic tools in modern medicine, assisting doctors in making and confirming diagnoses as early as possible, often before recognisable signs and symptoms are present, thus allowing for more effective treatment. And the credibility of medical laboratories is paramount to the health and safety of the patients relying on the testing services provided by these labs.

Dr Al-Nawab explains: “Pathology is by far the most important infrastructural support foundation for all medical management: it provides or confirms the diagnosis of disease, it is the final auditor of all medical and treatment activities, and it is the main source of all high-level medical research. In short, any medical system that does not have an efficient pathology system in place cannot improve itself, regardless of the financial expenditure provided.”

“The importance of pathology in medicine makes standardisation and accreditation essential, as it allows doctors and hospitals to diagnose and treat disease closer to the point of origin, and standardised clinical testing contributes directly to the control of healthcare costs by assisting in accurate diagnosis early on, and removing the cost of unnecessary treatment based on inaccurate diagnosis,” he adds.

Reliable, accredited and quality controlled test reporting will always be more cost-effective to all concerned in the long run, but for patients, the benefits go beyond lower costs: accurate diagnosis allows them to benefit from receiving the best treatment for their condition as early as possible, rather than receiving incorrect, and possibly even detrimental, treatment based on inaccurate diagnosis.

Dr Al-Nawab believes that for this reason, patients should consider quality and safety for lab testing just as rigorously as for other aspects of medical care, if not more, due to its impact on their well-being. He says that patients should take more control in asking their doctors where their laboratory tests are carried out, and what ISO standards are being applied in those laboratories and if they are accredited accordingly, since the results may have a profound impact on their well-being.

Dubai’s healthcare services must be internationally recognized to be of good quality, and its numerous strategically located hospitals and clinics boast modern facilities, particularly in Dubai Healthcare City, which forms the latest introduction to the upgrading of the emirate’s healthcare system. With the Dubai Government’s introduction of strict minimum standards for the operation of medical laboratories, it is only a matter of time before this infrastructural sector of the emirate’s healthcare system, too, is recognised as being of international standard.

-ENDS-

About CPS
CPS (Clinical Pathology Services L.L.C.) is a Dubai-based company with the only purpose-built, privately owned, stand-alone, reference medical laboratory for human pathology testing in the United Arab Emirates. CPS is affiliated with Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Trust in the United Kingdom. Accordingly, it applies all the standards set out by CPA(UK) to achieve the highest possible laboratory proficiency. CPS aims to become the leading pathology service in the region and to provide internationally accredited laboratory services to hospitals, medical practices and the community who rely on those services for their health and well-being.

CPS offers the highest achievable quality analysis in the disciplines of histopathology, cytopathology, serology, haematology, biochemistry and microbiology, offering complete molecular biology services for hospitals, doctors and patients.

For further information please contact:
Wajih Halawa
SAHARA Communications
+971 4 329 8996
+971 50 240 3357
wajih@saharagcc.com