Monday 12 / January / 2026
Muscat; The Ministry of Health on Monday celebrated the inauguration of the Central Public Health Laboratory, which stands as a national, regional, and global reference in the field of public health laboratories.
The ceremony was held under the patronage of Sayyid Hamoud bin Faisal Al Busaidi, Minister of Interior.
The establishment of the centre aims to enhance health and prevent disease by leading in laboratory sciences, supporting public health and environmental activities, building networks, and providing rapid response.
In a speech, Dr. Ahmed bin Salim Al Mandhari, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health for Planning and Health Regulation, stated that celebrating the opening of the Central Public Health Laboratory represents one of the pillars of public health, constituting a fundamental component of the national health security system in the Sultanate of Oman.
He added that the Sultanate of Oman, during this glorious month of January of the current year, has witnessed in the era of the Renewed Renaissance a distinguished record for the health sector with the inauguration of three vital health development projects, marking a qualitative phase that places it among advanced nations through its comprehensive development march.
He noted that health constitutes one of the top priorities of Oman Vision 2040, and the vision of the Ministry of Health is summarized in a society enjoying sophisticated care and sustainable health, enabling it to live a secure and productive life socially and economically.
He pointed out that the wise Royal directives of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik to establish the Central Public Health Laboratory translate his insightful vision of the importance of this vital project in strategic investments in the health of the Omani citizen, protecting society, and enhancing the national health sector’s preparedness to deal with epidemiological, biological, chemical risks, and outbreaks of all kinds.
He added that this project is one of the strategic programs being pursued by the Ministry of Health, under the directives of the future outlook for the health system, namely health crisis management.
He said that the opening of this laboratory is a qualitative shift in the concept of public health in terms of surveillance, diagnosis, and rapid response, and a practical affirmation that the Sultanate of Oman places human health at the forefront of its national priorities, in harmony with Oman Vision 2040, which has made quality of life and sustainable health a main axis of development.
He pointed out that the past years and the accompanying health crises have demonstrated the pivotal role of reference laboratories in the rapid detection of health threats, identification of microbial strains, monitoring of mutations, and guiding evidence-based health policies.
This was confirmed by statistics on laboratory tests conducted in the laboratories of the Ministry of Health in 2025, which amounted to approximately 22.9 million tests, in addition to tests conducted in the health sector laboratories in general, he added.
For his part, Dr. Ali bin Abdulhussein Al-Lawati, Advisor to the Minister’s Office for Engineering Affairs at the Ministry of Health, confirmed that this laboratory represents one of the most prominent vital projects in the health sector of the Sultanate of Oman. It was established on a land area of 53,000 square metres, with a built-up area of 19,480 square metres and an estimated cost of OMR18.2 million. It houses the latest technologies and advanced laboratory facilities.
He explained that the building consists of three floors, including high-security laboratories with biosafety levels (BSL-2 and BSL-3), and specialised laboratories in the fields of virology, bacteriology, chemistry, toxicology, newborn screening, genetic sequencing, and bioinformatics.
It contains a lecture hall, a library, meeting rooms, and training laboratories in various fields to support the continuous training and education system.
He indicated that the cost of medical and laboratory equipment, electronic technical devices, and others amounts to approximately OMR11 million.
He noted that the Central Public Health Laboratory serves as an umbrella gathering the existing reference public health laboratories affiliated to the Ministry under one roof, and its importance lies in enhancing the diagnostic capabilities of laboratories.
Advanced reference tests such as molecular, microbiological, serological, and chemical tests will be conducted within it.
In a related context, Dr. Zakariya bin Yahya Al Balushi, Director General of the Disease Surveillance and Control Centre, said that the laboratory came to support and enhance the national health system by achieving a level of quality, accuracy, and reliability, and by promoting public health and biosecurity objectives. It provides highly efficient laboratory services that contribute to the early detection of diseases and support rapid response to public health threats in accordance with national and international standards.
He pointed out that the Central Public Health Laboratory supports national epidemiological surveillance programs with the confirmed diagnosis of infectious diseases and will work on coordinating with international organizations as they are centers accredited by the World Health Organization in specific areas such as polio and influenza.
It will also work on developing and applying a comprehensive quality system in laboratories to ensure accreditation and compliance with international standards, in addition to supporting programs for training and qualifying national cadres in public health laboratory sciences and participating in research and scientific studies related to public health to be a scientific and research reference in the Sultanate of Oman.
In the same context, Dr. Hanan bint Salim Al Kindi, Director of the Central Public Health Laboratory Department at the Ministry of Health, explained that the Central Public Health Laboratory is one of the fundamental pillars of the epidemiological investigation and early warning system in the Sultanate of Oman, serving as a national, regional, and global reference for providing the most accurate laboratory tests and support for disease surveillance programs and outbreak response, as well as qualifying national cadres and developing advanced laboratory capabilities.
She added that the laboratory will effectively contribute to enhancing national health security and biosecurity through a comprehensive system of high-precision diagnostic services.
It will undertake many vital tasks through its various departments, such as: providing advanced reference services supporting disease prevention, control, and laboratory surveillance; providing reference and specialized tests; unifying laboratory standards; enhancing environmental health; ensuring food safety through laboratory tests; responding to health emergencies and supporting health system preparedness.
An internal committee in the laboratory assumes responsibility for safety and biosecurity by overseeing quality and biosafety requirements, setting policies and standards regulating the work environment security in medical laboratories, and following up on compliance with their application to ensure the protection of workers and the surrounding environment.
The quality assurance laboratory manages national and regional programs to monitor the quality of results from government and private laboratories, prepares and distributes quality control materials, monitors performance gaps in laboratories, and participates in regional programmes under the supervision of the World Health Organization.
It is worth noting that the laboratory encompasses a number of reference laboratories collaborating with the World Health Organization, among them the Regional Polio Laboratory, the Measles and Rubella Laboratory, the National Influenza Laboratory, and a Centre for Emerging and Re-emerging Diseases.
