World's leading reference laboratory to open first branch outside Europe in Dubai Healthcare City

LMM and the Dubai-based state of the art and multi-specialty healthcare facility HMC will formally announce their collaboration at a signing ceremony on Tuesday, January 24, the third day of Arab Health. The joint centre is earmarked to open at Dubai Healthcare City in 2006.

The two highly regarded institutions will combine resources and strengths to establish a full-fledged laboratory operating to the highest international standards in Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC), HMC Chairman Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib and Jean-Louis Oger, CEO of Laboratoire Marcel Merieux, said at a press conference to announce the new venture.

"The association between HMC and Laboratoire Marcel Merieux (LMM) represents a unique opportunity to link Dubai with the internationally renowned presence of Europe's most reputed laboratories group," Dr. Al Habib said.

"Our aim is to not only benefit the citizens of Dubai, the UAE and the region, but also to bring the most advanced and sophisticated technologies and specialist clinical testing services to DHCC, which is fast becoming the globally acknowledged location of choice for healthcare."

LMM CEO Jean-Louis Oger explained that the alliance constituted a positive step for both entities. "The Laboratoire Marcel Merieux and the Al-Habib Medical Center have signed a cooperation agreement that will be unmatched regionally in terms of its resources and its commitment to excellent laboratory services, medical care and research," he said. "We look forward to a mutually advantageous relationship that will ultimately benefit our patients."

"Our services have improved and enlarged to incorporate the best medical technology and put us on par with the best laboratories of the world. The LMM has the best international standards in laboratory testing and we look forward to provide those services across the region through this agreement," Jean-Louis Oger said.

Equipped with 120 doctors and the capacity to attend to 800 patients daily, the Dr. Sulaiman Al-Habib Medical Center's Dubai facility will provide world-class healthcare to populations in the region. The addition of LMM as a partner cements the HMC's commitment to state of the art technology and services.

The Laboratoire Marcel Merieux (LMM), one of the oldest and well-known Laboratory groups in Europe, was established in 1897 in Lyon, France and is reputed for its rich history and pioneering efforts in the region's medical sector.

Today, LMM is one of Europe's leading names in specialised clinical pathology and performs more than 2,000 tests requiring specialist expertise and sophisticated technologies not available in first line laboratories. Its testing services, particularly in the service areas of hormonology, oncology and virology, are utilised by hospitals, laboratories and pharmaceutical companies worldwide. LMM handles up to 25,000 patient requisitions daily.

"We expect a long-term relationship, and we hope this will usher in the best laboratory practices and services to the region in line with our mission of providing the highest standards of medicare," Dr. Al Habib added.