The Regional Laboratory of Riyadh Region ranked first among its counterparts in the Middle East, following securing 99 percent in the assessment of all external metric specimens within the program of external quality of the test run by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Muscat in May 2011. Riyadh Lab. excelled in Bacteriology, Tuberculosis, Public Hygiene, Parasites, Viruses and Blood Banks. Director General of Laboratories and Blood Banks Dr. Ibrahim Al-Umar pointed out that Riyadh Lab. is the only in the Middle East to achieve this mark so far. -- SPA