RIYADH — The National Health Laboratory in north Riyadh was established in 2009 as the Middle East's reference point for new medical research but it has turned into a haven for illegal expatriates and stray dogs, Al-Eqtisadiah business daily reported. According to reports from the laboratory, there have been no developments since the completion of its infrastructure in 2009. Currently, the only running health laboratory in Riyadh is Al-Shumaisi. However, demands for more research into preventive measures against contagious diseases such as the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) are increasing and Al-Shumaisi is running out of capacity. There is a great need for additional health laboratories in Saudi Arabia in general. The initial vision of the National Health Laboratory was for it to have internationally-qualified doctors working in advanced medical fields such as virology. Having the most pioneering health organizations such as the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as one of the its advisory board members, the laboratory was also meant to be the main laboratory and point of medical reference for the entire Middle East. The project faced a number of obstacles due to a lack of available land; it took 14 years for the laboratory to be constructed.
Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz donated a 100,000 square meter plot of land for the project, whose execution phase was launched in 2004. Then Minister of Health Dr. Hamad Al-Manie asked national construction companies to submit tenders for building the laboratory and in 2006 a company was awarded the contract. It cost SR320 million to construct the laboratory, which is located in a remote area north of Riyadh. Once major construction work was completed, the ministry inaugurated the laboratory in 2009. Al-Eqtisadiah reported that there have been no developments since the opening ceremony and that the blueprints of the laboratory are scattered on the floors of the empty building. This indicates that the project is currently at a standstill and neither the Ministry of Health nor the construction company is working on it. When asked to comment, an employee at the construction company said: “The company finished its part of the contract a long time ago. The delay in the opening of the laboratory is the fault of the concerned government department. The laboratory was completed five years ago but still there is no water supply to the building and its remote location deprives it of basic amenities.”
