Muscat - Work on the Central Public Health Laboratory in the Wilayat of Seeb in Muscat Governorate is 60 percent complete and is expected to be inaugurated in the second half of 2025.
The laboratory to be built on an area of 18, 155 sqm will include the latest technologies and equipment with a construction cost of RO18,200,000.
Dr. Hanan bint Salem al Kindi, Director of the Public Health Laboratories Department at the Ministry of Health, said "The Central Public Health Laboratory aims to bring together all current reference public health laboratories affiliated with the Ministry’s General Department under one roof, which will enhance the diagnostic capabilities of laboratories and promote the objectives of public health and vital health security."
She added that the main building of the laboratory consists of three floors, where the first floor contains administrative offices, a lecture hall that can accommodate 130 people, and a wing for receiving samples.
The building will also include two biosafety level 3 (BSL3) laboratories for dealing with high-risk microbes, in addition to level 2 laboratories in the fields of viruses, bacteria, chemistry, toxins, and newborn examinations. Access to mechanical systems will be provided via external corridors, to ensure that the level of biological containment is not affected.
She said the building will include a department for quality and risk management (a laboratory serving the regional quality program), public health laboratory affairs, and a viral laboratory (the regional polio reference laboratory, the regional measles and rubella laboratory, the national influenza laboratory, the regional SARS-CoV virus laboratory, and others).
The building will contain a reference pulmonary tuberculosis laboratory, a bacteriological, epidemiological and laboratory surveillance laboratory, a parasitology, malaria and fungi laboratory, a newborn screening laboratory, an environmental laboratory, a chemical laboratory, a toxicology and genetic sequencing laboratory, a bioinformatics department, and a regional WHO collaborating center for emerging and developing diseases, in addition to administrative and financial departments.
She pointed out that the initial design process was preceded by a series of meetings between the engineering team, the Ministry of Health, the technical team from the Public Health Laboratories, and members of the Ministerial Technical Committee, in cooperation with experts from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the United States of America.
Dr. Hanan said that after the start of construction work, a team of engineers and laboratory experts visited a number of American laboratories affiliated with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and laboratories participating in the American Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) with the aim of reviewing the latest developments in laboratory construction after the Corona pandemic.
She explained that the Central Public Health Laboratory building was designed to ensure sustainability, general vision and advanced architectural style without compromising its security or the surrounding environment. High-quality building materials were used to ensure durability and ease of maintenance, as the architectural character of the building reflects a commitment to protecting public health.
The Ministry of Health is currently working on plans to train national cadres who will work in this project through continuous training and professional development by providing continuous training programmes and regular updates for cadres to ensure that they keep pace with the latest developments in technology and systems used to equip national cadres with the knowledge and skills necessary to ensure the effective and safe operation of the project.
The laboratory will contribute significantly to enhancing healthcare capabilities and improving public health levels in the Sultanate of Oman, the region and the world, as it will continue its role as a major destination for regional and international cooperation in the fields of public health and scientific research, which enhances the position of the Sultanate of Oman in the regional and international arena.
The Central Public Health Laboratory is the most important reference laboratory cooperating with the World Health Organization in the region.
Public health laboratories represent a fundamental pillar in the disease investigation and surveillance system, as medical laboratories are among the most important diagnostic pillars in health care and one of the most important pillars of vital national security.
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