More than 19,610 medical laboratory industry professionals and 678 exhibiting companies from 51 countries will be welcomed in Dubai today (Feb. 4) for the opening of MEDLAB, the MENA region's largest medical laboratory exhibition and congress. With the World Bank projecting that the UAE's population will reach 12.8 million by 2050 (up from 9.4 million in 2017), over three million of whom are expected to be over the age of 60 years, the demand for clinical laboratory services such as blood tests, clinical specimen analysis and DNA sequencing is expected to significantly increase as a result. The four-day MEDLAB Exhibition & Congress, which is organized by Informa Exhibitions – Healthcare and runs until Feb. 7 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, is expected to generate business exceeding last year's value of $166 million as an increasing number of healthcare practitioners now rely on clinical laboratory tests before making a clinical decision on diagnosis and the treatment of diseases. This year, country representation at MEDLAB remains robust with 15 country pavilions including three new pavilions - Belgium, Turkey and Russia - and one regional pavilion, Berlin. Showcasing the importance of the medical laboratory service industry in the region, many country pavilions at MEDLAB are increasing in size such as the Austrian pavilion which will grow by 15%, and the US and German pavilions which will grow by 12% respectively. According to a report by Colliers International, which is part of the MEDLAB Market Report Series, there has been a continuous shift in the balance of power from service providers to healthcare insurance companies and from laboratories in hospitals to standalone laboratories – providing better and more advanced technologies as well as lower cost per test due to economies of scale. Abdul Hamid Oubeisi, CEO of Abu Dhabi-based National Reference Laboratory (NRL), said: "NRL has continued to work relentlessly throughout 2018 to expand our specialized testing capabilities, and we will be returning to MEDLAB in 2019 to increase awareness among the region's laboratory professionals and healthcare providers of the high-quality diagnostic testing that is available in-country through NRL laboratories. As a key event highlighting the UAE's capabilities in the medical laboratory industry, MEDLAB continues to be the right platform for us to share international best practices and our latest innovations in clinical laboratory testing." In addition to the exhibition, MEDLAB also provides an important platform for scientific exchange by bringing together more than 6,700 conference delegates to hear from more than 110 speakers from 20 countries, in an effort to provide advanced medical laboratory techniques for better health. The 2019 edition will see the introduction of three new tracks including Artificial Intelligence, Immunology, and Cytogenetics & IVF, bringing the total number of CME-accredited multi-disciplinary conferences to 11. "As the region's only CME accredited multi-disciplinary congress, we are working closely with our supporting associations including the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute, College of American Pathologists, Saudi Society for Clinical Chemistry, Saudi Quality Council, Saudi Society of Hematology, IEEE and the International Society of Blood Transfusion, to provide a selection of multi-disciplinary sessions in laboratory medicine to help medical lab professionals advance their skills and improve care in the region," said Rejoy Penacerrada, Conference Director, MEDLAB Congress. Running alongside the laboratory medicine conference tracks will be the Heads of Lab Masterclass, an invitation-only exclusive discussion on clinical laboratory management challenges, which aims to strengthen collaboration and cooperation among regional leaders in the lab to better and improve patient services. MEDLAB will also host a Scientific Poster Zone displaying the latest research from laboratorians worldwide and providing an area for MEDLAB's delegates to congregate and discuss the latest research, findings and developments within the industry. Offering the know-how on the latest testing methods, findings and technology, a number of workshops – many of which are CME-accredited - will also be hosted by leading laboratory and diagnostic companies and manufacturers on the exhibition floor. — SG
