Abu Dhabi - UAE: Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) managed by Cleveland Clinic celebrates for the fifth year the Medical Laboratory Professionals Week from 22 - 26 May 2011. The celebration provides a unique opportunity to increase public understanding of and appreciation for the clinical laboratory professionals. SKMC is part of the SEHA HealthSystem and is owned and operated by the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), which is responsible for the curative activities of all the public hospitals and clinics in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
In this 36th celebration world-wide, it is important to reflect on the important history of the National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week (NMLPW). NMLPW originated in 1975, as NMLW, under the auspices of the American Society for Medical Technology, now called the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS). In subsequent years, other organizations have served as cosponsors and campaign supporters. In the fall of 2005, the National Medical Laboratory Week (NMLW) was changed to National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week to emphasize the person whose expertise is needed in the performance of laboratory testing. Worth mentioning, the Medical Laboratory Professionals Week has been successful in increasing the recognition of clinical laboratory science amongst the healthcare community and general public.
With the public currently demanding the assurance of quality healthcare and professional accountability, organizations representing practitioners of this critical science have a responsibility to ensure that the public is well informed about clinical laboratory competency. Beyond meeting this public need, the celebration of NMLPW at SKMC helps increase recognition for the profession as it improves the individual practitioner's sense of self-worth. Further, as the various professional groups within laboratory practice work together on this project, the sense of unity of all laboratorians is reinforced. The goal is also to raise awareness on laboratory tests and their importance in preventing and diagnosing serious diseases and pathologies and to stress the importance of accuracy and precision in delivering test results.
"SKMC employs approximately 190 practitioners of clinical laboratory science in the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine department who play an increasingly vital role in the diagnosis and prevention of disease," Dr. Laila Abdel-Wareth, Chair of Laboratory Medicine Institute at SKMC added.
"Our Laboratory team is a fundamental part in our overall healthcare system", Dr. Tej Maini, CEO of SKMC said. "With the collaborative efforts of our laboratory team members, we are proud that SKMC Laboratory was the first in Abu Dhabi to be accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP) in December 2010. SKMC Laboratory has also positioned itself as a Reference Laboratory for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and has the first fully automated chemistry, hematology and serology laboratory in the UAE. It is worth mentioning that more than 2 million laboratory tests were performed for our in-patients and outpatients in SKMC's laboratory in 2010."
From his side, Dr. Atul Mehta, Chief Medical Officer at SKMC stated, "It is worth mentioning that the clinical laboratory science professionals play an increasingly vital role in the diagnosis and prevention of disease. 60% of the diagnosis comes from the laboratory team which is an essential step towards establishing the proper treatment. I believe the staff of laboratory medicine are "exceptional people" and perform "exceptional work" for our patients and this comes in line with this week slogan "Exceptional People, Exceptional Work"."
The Laboratory Professionals Week was organized by Dr. Rawya Al Dhaheri, Clinical Scientist and Najeeba Baroud, Senior Medical Technologist at SKMC in addition to other members from the Laboratory Medicine Institute. Speaking about the activities, Dr. Al Dhaheri said, "Our goal during the campaign is to highlight the important role of the lab profession in health organization. Therefore, we will be arranging for a tour to the Laboratory main tower for SKMC staff and another few tours are also arranged for some university students in the UAE on Thursday, 26 May 2011. We encourage them to come and see what happens inside our laboratories, to let them meet the staff who work on several kinds of laboratory tests and to check the automated system we are using as well as the state of the art equipment. We will also be offering free cholesterol testing, blood glucose, blood type and hemoglobin for visitors and the public at the lobby located in the Surgical Pavilion (SKMC's main entrance) starting today until end of Wednesday."
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About SKMC managed by Cleveland Clinic
Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) is located in Abu Dhabi City, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, and operates under the management of Cleveland Clinic, consistently named by U.S. News and World Report as one of the nation's best hospitals in its annual "America's Best Hospitals" survey. SKMC, is owned by SEHA, the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company, recently established to oversee operations of all public hospitals in the Emirate. SKMC is the flagship institution for the public health system in Abu Dhabi and has several 'Centers of Excellence', and aspires to practice contemporary medicine comparable to the best hospitals and medical centers in the world. SKMC provides comprehensive healthcare services in all of the disciplines relevant to the needs and priorities of the community to attain the highest levels of patient satisfaction.
SKMC, the largest hospital and medical city in the UAE, consists of 568-bed Tertiary Hospital, 14 outpatient specialty clinics and Abu Dhabi Blood Bank, all of which are accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI). SKMC is also accredited as a Cycle III Chest Pain Center with Primary Angioplasty Intervention; and is accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP) for its Main Laboratory and the Abu Dhabi Blood Bank. In addition, SKMC manages a 125-bed Behavioral Sciences Pavilion, 6 Family Medicine Clinics, 2 Dental Centers, and 2 Urgent Care Centers distributed over the city of Abu Dhabi. For further information, please contact us at marketing@skmc.gov.ae or visit www.skmc.ae.
About the SEHA HealthSystem and the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company PJSC (SEHA)
SEHA is health in Arabic. The Abu Dhabi Health Services Company PJSC- whose marketing identity is SEHA - is an independent, public joint stock company created to develop the curative activities of the public healthcare system in Abu Dhabi. The company owns and operates all the public hospitals and clinics of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi which together make up the SEHA HealthSystem. SEHA is committed to providing high quality, cost effective healthcare in a socially responsible way on par with international standards measured through accessibility, affordability, choice and satisfaction. SEHA has partnered with internationally recognized hospital managers to achieve these goals. These include Johns Hopkins Medicine International, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, VAMED, Vienna Medical University and Bumrungrad International. SEHA owns and operates 12 hospitals with 2,644 beds, 62 ambulatory care, family care and urgent care centers and 2 blood banks. SEHA is one of the largest integrated healthcare providers in the Middle East with 16,500 doctors, nurses, ancillary care and administrative personnel in its employ. Visit our website at www.seha.ae.
Media Contact
Farah Al Alami
Tel.: +971508128892
Email: marketing@skmc.gov.ae
© Press Release 2011
