DT Correspondent
Cimas MEDLABS, Zimbabwe’s leading diagnostic and medical laboratory services provider, has embarked on a project to renovate and re-equip its laboratories nationwide.
The goal is to enable on-site testing and reduce turnaround times for delivering results to patients.
Cimas MEDLABS, a designated health institution by the Medical Laboratory and Clinical Scientists Association of Zimbabwe, offers a range of pathology tests including haematology, biochemistry, histology, microbiology, viral load, and bone marrow aspirate.
These services are provided to both Cimas members and non-members whom primary healthcare clinics and private doctors refer.
Speaking to media on Wednesday during a tour of the Harare laboratory as part of Medical Laboratory Professionals Week celebrations, Cimas Group Medical Advisor and Head of Diagnostics, Dr Tsitsi Moyo, said the renovation project aims to minimize the need to refer tests to the central laboratory in Harare.
“Cimas MEDLABS was established in 1985 and has grown from a single laboratory to eight locations nationwide, with a network of branches, satellite labs and collection points handling a significant volume of pathology tests in Zimbabwe,” Dr Moyo stated.
In addition to the renovations, Cimas MEDLABS is also celebrating the upcoming launch of a state-of-the-art gene sequencer, which will enable the organization to bolster its research capabilities and ensure the inclusion of the African genome in various aspects of healthcare.
“Cimas MEDLABS is immensely proud to be at the forefront of genetic research and personalized medicine. We remain committed to advancing medical knowledge and improving patient outcomes through groundbreaking research and technology,” Dr Moyo said.
The company also emphasized its commitment to investing in the next generation of scientists, offering industrial attachments and internships to newly qualified professionals, and providing them real-world experience and exposure to the latest equipment and work ethics.
“Cimas MEDLABS is more than a clinical diagnostic and testing entity; we are also involved in medical research in partnership with major research and clinical trials in the country. We endeavour to make the African voice, particularly the Zimbabwean voice, heard as a contributor to scientific discovery,” said Dr Moyo.
