COVID-19: Saudi Arabia shuts Riyadh private screening laboratory

Abu Dhabi: Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Health Department has shut down a private laboratory for travellers’ COVID-19 screening for a number of irregularities, the Ministry of Health said.

The ministry said it tracked COVID-19 samples that were transported in a random manner and found out a number of violations, including reports with negative results for samples that were seized and did not reach the laboratory, and failure to adhere to precautionary measures and infection control.

The laboratory contracted with a large number of medical facilities, which resulted in receiving a daily number of samples that exceeded its capacity, and a number of other violations that necessitated its closure, pending a final decision by the competent committees, the ministry said.

The laboratory faces penalties including fines, withdrawal of license, and blacklisting for two years, according to the ministry.

The ministry called upon all health facilities, especially medical laboratories, during the pandemic to fully comply with all health standards, saying it will take all necessary corrective measures to firmly address any shortcomings in the health services.