Amman, Dec. 29 (Petra) -- HRH Prince Faisal bin Al Hussein, Chairman of the National Policies Council, patronized on Monday the launch of the National Center for Epidemics and Disease Control’s National Laboratories Strategy for 2026–2030 and the National Guide for Laboratory Quality Management Systems, under the One Health approach.

The strategy was launched under the theme "From Early Detection to Protection for Health Security," aiming to advance laboratory services nationwide, improve healthcare quality and patient safety, and strengthen national health security.

The strategy seeks to enhance efficient resource use, reduce duplication, support evidence-based health policies through reliable laboratory data, and strengthen collaboration among health, environmental, and agricultural sectors within a sustainable institutional framework.

It also aims to improve governance and national coordination among laboratories across sectors, raise the quality and efficiency of laboratory services by standardizing practices and upgrading quality systems, develop infrastructure, enhance emergency preparedness and response, enable early risk and epidemic detection, and build national capacities through training and professional development.

Director of the National Center for Epidemics and Disease Control Adel Balbeisi said the strategy unifies the national vision, strengthens governance, upgrades infrastructure, improves diagnostic services, enhances quality, biosafety, and biosecurity systems, builds laboratory workforce capacities, and improves information systems and data exchange to support decision-making and protect public health.

Balbeisi emphasized that timely and accurate diagnosis is the cornerstone and first line of defense against diseases and epidemics, noting that the National Guide for Laboratory Quality Management provides a unified national reference to support quality implementation, accreditation, and standardized practices, improving result reliability and safety.

For her part, Director of the Center’s Laboratories Directorate Ruba Smadi said the strategy and guide were developed based on the 2024 national assessment of the laboratory system, which identified organizational and technical challenges. She noted the documents provide a practical national response and establish a unified framework to develop and sustain the laboratory system.

She added that the launch marks a milestone, as it is the first comprehensive national laboratories strategy accompanied by a clear implementation plan and a monitoring and evaluation framework, covering all relevant sectors under the One Health approach, with national partnership efforts and technical support from the World Bank.

//Petra// NQ

29/12/2025 13:30:03