Muscat: The Central Public Health Laboratory project in the Wilayat of Seeb, Muscat Governorate, is 99 percent ready, and it is scheduled to open by the end of 2025.
The laboratory figures as one of the Sultanate of Oman's most prominent health sector projects.
The RO 18.2 million project, which occupies an area of 18,155 square metres, boasts the latest technologies and facilities.
The Central Public Health Laboratory seeks to group the Health Ministry's reference laboratories at one premises—offering an opportunity to enhance diagnostic capabilities and augment the rate of response to infectious diseases, health risks and biological risks.
The building, which consists of three floors, houses high-security labs featuring BSL-2 and BSL-3 biosafety standards, in addition to other labs specialized in virology, microbiology, chemistry, toxicology, newborn screening, genetic sequencing and bioinformatics.
The Central Public Health Laboratory also comprises WHO-affiliated reference labs, including the Regional Polio Laboratory, the Measles and Rubella Laboratory, the National Influenza Laboratory and a center for emerging and new diseases.
The project will boost the existing epidemiological monitoring system, improve the quality of diagnostic services and support research. It will promote the Sultanate of Oman's status as an advanced regional hub in the field of public health.