QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER SUMMER 2022 | ISSUE 02
COVER STORY
GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND
> Quality, Network and Efficiency > Spearheaded COVID-19 Screening > A Day in the Life of > Our Centres of Excellence
What’s inside...
Our Vision / 01
Our Vision To empower end-users and healthcare providers to take precise and personalized health management decisions. Our Mission To continue to provide value-driven diagnostic insights powered by technology and driven by agility.
Our Mission / 01
CEO’s Message / 02
Our World Going Above and Beyond / 03
Our Core Values / 03
Spearheaded COVID-19 Screening / 04
A Day in the Life of / 05
Our Centres of Excellence Spotlight on Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics / 07
Our Accreditations / 09
Our Publications / 11
Our New Tests / 12
Our Social Responsibility Campaigns and Events / 12
Our Standards Of Excellence / 13
Our Quality Assurance / 14
Our Brilliant Minds / 16
Performance Driven Culture / 17
Purelab Insights | 01 01
CEO’s Message
As the CEO of Purelab, I want to pay my heartfelt tribute to our heroes, our frontline workers and everyone who has been at the forefront battling the COVID-19 pandemic. Your support has made a tremendous difference for the millions of people we proudly serve. Our network of 160 laboratories with a comprehensive laboratory solution and the largest in-house lab test menu not only fulfilled its mission of safely providing high-quality and patient-focused healthcare — it also achieved remarkable goals and continued forging critical future plans. This, also, could not be accomplished without the ongoing and generous support of all of our stakeholders and partners. Your support has made a tremendous difference, not just for our organization, but also for the millions we humbly serve in this great nation. As we move forward, we continue to remain fully committed to fulfilling the healthcare needs of the communities that we serve, applying the most recent technologies combined with the human intelligence and experience of our brilliant team, all driven by our core values; the compass that guides us today, and in the coming years.
Healthcare is all about people, and I assure you that we will remain committed to fulfilling the UAE community’s healthcare needs now and into the future. I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome all our valued staff in Yas Clinic lab and Shaikh Khalifa HCF labs under the Ministry of Presidential Affairs (MOPA) to the Purelab family and as part of our expanded network. Thank you again for your valued support of Purelab and for choosing to be part of the team who will advance the health and wellbeing of the community. I am excited to look toward to the future and all that we will continue to achieve as we march ahead together.
Dear Colleagues, Associates & Well Wishers, I am pleased to present the second edition of Purelab Insights, our quarterly newsletter. I hope this will allow you to get a useful overview of Purelab’s operations, key achievements, success stories and best practices for the community that we proudly serve. As you will see in this newsletter, there are significant accomplishments, but what truly makes us proud is how our teams of brilliant minds and caring hearts have been rolling up their sleeves and banding together to tackle daily obstacles with creativity and bravery. In the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, they all demonstrated grace and commitment under pressure. Even as the pandemic continues, we are readying ourselves to fulfill our pledge for a healthier community, now and well into the future.
Kindest Regards, Arindam Haldar Chief Executive Officer
02
Going Above and Beyond
Our Operations Insights
Purelab operates and manages over 160 laboratories across the UAE and has the largest network of ISO Accredited laboratories.
Our Core Values
Quality
Holistic Network
Efficiency
-based s to le
nosti
Our dia approa
Fulfilling the healthcare needs of the communities that we serve, now, and well into the future through establishing robust healthcare institutions across the UAE.
Delivering exceptional quality, patient-focused healthcare, and rapid laboratory testing services.
h ai
e
era
ies of s
the
ono
ale fro
e of tests and
olu
h
hi
iders
are pro
ers health
faster, low-
ost, and
ore
.
cc essible testin
160+ LABS
03
Our Network of 160 Labs No matter where you are, Purelab is here for you! We spearheaded COVID-19 Screening Programmes across the UAE.
Our Efforts to Tackle Covid-19
Covid-19 screening at the Northern Emirates. Our network of Covid-19 laboratories not only fulfilled its mission of proactively tackling the Covid-19 outbreak and safely providing exceptional quality and patient-focused healthcare - it also achieved remarkable goals and continued forging critical future plans.
Purelab has successfully established six laboratories in the North region to provide better coverage with an improved turnaround time.
1. 2.
Dubai Airport Screening Laboratory - Dubai Al Qassimi Women and Children Hospital - Screening Laboratory - Sharjah Al Kuwait Dubai Hospital- Screening Laboratory - Dubai Ibrahim Bin Hamad Obaidullah Hospital (RAK)-Screening Laboratory - Ras al Khaimah Fujairah Hospital - Screening Laboratory - Fujairah Sheikh Khalifa Specialty Hospital MOPA - Screening Laboratory - Ras al Khaimah
3.
4.
5.
6.
At Purelab Southern Covid-19 Screening Labs, we have dedicated our efforts to continue providing exceptional quality and safe emergency services in order to accelerate the testing and results process and contribute to the fight against Covid-19.
04
Shout Out!
A shout out to the Purelab staff who received the American Society for Cl inical Pathology International Molecular Biology (ASCP MB) flagship certification.
• Tari
asan
ue Noorul
• Qurat Ul Ain Khan • Syed Shahba • Muha mm ad unain • Sa jj ad Khan • I Ah ad • Muha mm ad Talib • asit Khan Shakil
idation of
roup of resear
orrelation
hers in Purelab published a resear
Another
h paper entitled “Elu
le threshold
ender”. This has
between SARS-CoV-2 RdRp and N
ene
e and
by RT-PCR with a
Ct
iety for Clini
al Patholo
y
2022 Annual
ed to be presented at the A
eri
ASCP
an So
been appro
o, USA.
held in Chi
Meetin
iation between the SARS-CoV-2
ti
e of this study is to in
esti
The
le threshold
ate the asso
ain ob
id-19 patients, to in
han
e of
to the a
esti
ender of Co
ate whether the population-wide
e and
ases and to in
esti
ate
orrelated to the nu
ber of new COVID-19
e is
er ti
alue o
SARSCoV2 RTPCR Ct
the dyna
of RdRp and N
enes.
A Day in the Life of George Donnelly, Regional Laboratory Manager- Abu Dhabi Region
ery di
ope of
y
erent. The
ain s
My workdays are always
ulation, and labs’
work is related to lab operations, safety, re
in
related issues. Most of the ti
s with
ed in
e, I a
ol
eetin
ional
ions
other re
ers fro
ana
Al Ain and Al Dhafra re
ion. Mu
and Dr. Rawya, the Operations Dire
tor South Re
h of
the re
. At the
ainin
day is taken up workin
with the tea
the day went as planned and on the
end of the day, ensurin
ission is what
llin
ti
e ful
e
sa
olle
e pa
our
akes the
day “a day”.
lo
k in and out position. There
er is not a
ana
a lab
ein
s at
ery short noti
e. So eetin
eetin
e days, there
will be
an be
as
any as 4-5 hours of
reat
s. This re
ultiple
uires
ti
e
ana
ent and interpersonal skills.
05
What are the achievements that you can highlight in your labs from a medical and technical perspective?
CAP, AA BB and ISO 15189 a cc redited.
•
ein
ision of spe
ision of hi ed testin
iali
• The pro
ed and
apabilities. Pro
h-throu
hput and hi
h-
uality testin
, e.
,
low Cyto
LA, T
entrali
etry.
irates as well as lo
ally.
ilities in the Northern E
idin
• Pro
for fa
a wide array of sa
ple testin
From your own perspective, what are the top skills that make a successful lab manager?
• Your people are your
reatest asset. Make their li
es easier, they
ake yours easier.
• No
atter how busy, always
e to listen to sta
and o
er any ad
e if re
ake ti
uired.
•
e.
e supporti
ide feedba
• Pro
k to sta
on i
portant e
ents shared fro
head o ffic e.
•
e as transparent as possible.
iduals.
• Re • En • Re • Ne
with any disputes between indi
partial when dealin
ain i
.
ipation and feedba
idual parti
feel part of a tea
k on any e
e indi
oura
ents and
ake sta
ents.
hie
e and reward their e
orts and a onsultin
ni
likely to be a
ted by the out
in
the sta
e of
isions without
ol
and in
er
ake de isions.
those de
• •
e prepared to lead by exa
ple.
ood listener.
e a
le sour
• Listen to infor
t until
alidated fro
additional
ation re
ed fro
ei
er a
e, but ne
a sin
sour
es.
06
Our Centres of Excellence
isto
brella, the
Under the Purelab u
patibility
rst
s Laboratory (H LA Lab
was
eneti
mm uno
established in the early 2000s as a Medi
al Resear
h
ospital. Today, the laboratory proudly
Centre in Mafra
irates transplant
ser the De
es the United Arab E
mm unity as
ain referral laboratory for both the Li in
and
ides a hi patibility
ra mm e. It pro
h
eased-Donor Transplant Pro
iali
isto
ed state-of-the-art
plexity spe
to support both solid or
s testin
an
eneti
and I mm uno
,
reas
Kidney, Li
er, Lun
and
eart and Pan
ell transplantation. Currently, the
ste
atopoieti
laboratory pro ra mm es and ore than 20 hospitals within the Purelab network in the UAE. Close ollaboration between Transplant mm unolo ists and lini ians is funda ental to ensurin ood patient out es. This in ol es Pre- Post-Transplant testin to assess i mm unolo al risks and proper patient ana ent. ides six or transplant pro
The HLA Laboratory performs pre-transplant testing and consultation in four major areas:
1. HLA genotyping for recipients and donors. Results: Better match of HLA antigens and lower chance for harmful post-transpla nt immune reactions. 2. HLA antibody detection and characterization that could cause potential complications at the time of transplant. The introduction of (Single Antigen Bead-SAB) testing. Results: Vastly improved antibody identification and caters to all transplant progra mmes.
, whi
low
(F CXM
ross-
3.
hin
ines if the patient has
yto
at
etry
h deter
LA antibodies that are spe
fic
to a potential donor. Results: It plays a crucial role in detection and assists in designing desensitization p rotocols.
4. Virtual crossmatch (VXM): The laboratory provides virtual cross matches for potential recipient donor pairs in the deceased donor programme. Results: Accurate prediction of crossmatch results when the patient's antibody spec ificities have been identified using single HLA antigen bead technologies and the potential donor HLA ty pe is known.
07
Post-transplant testing services include:
tion by testin
for donor-spe
1. Routine
LA antibodies and
ns of re
fic
of patients for early si
onitorin assistan
idin
ians with the
pro
e under
e to physi
ourse of treat
one a solid
ent for patients who ha
an transplant.
or
/
one Marrow Transplant
to e
testin
ell transplantation (H CT
eris
2. Chi
atopoieti
aluate post-he
raft
ent.
(B MT
en
es produ
e
eti
an so
Patients
LA
antibodies to the on platelets, whi
ole
ules expressed
h redu
es the
ti eness of platelet transfusion. The
ides platelet transfusion
LA lab pro support ser
es throu
h
LA typin
and
lood
tion, thus, helpin
antibody dete
ians
ank physi
hoose a platelet donor
reased platelet
that will result in in
ounts
for patients in need.
for
Another area of expertise is testin
iations and dru
LA-related disease asso
ity rea
tions
hypersensiti
08
Our Accreditations
The LA laboratory has been a cc redited by CAP and ISO 15189 and has a
e
uality
prehensi
ra mm e.
e pro
assuran
mm ittees of the Arabian So
iety for
LA laboratory ser
bers of the
Me
e on the board and
ienti fic work papers at
ti
s
isto
e a
and ha
ely presented s
ARS
patibility and I mm uno
eneti
es and workshops.
onferen
any international
The HLA labs’ success stories include:
1.
2.
Discovering new HLA alleles in Emirati patients and publishing them in an international journal (HLA journal) and the National Library of Medicine (NLM).
3.
Establishing High-Resolution HLA typing by next Generation Sequencing in support of the Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) programme and improving immunological risk assessment.
Active involvement in the recently established Programmes for Donor/Recipient Pairs.
31 03
09
The HLA’s Lab List of Publications:
1. Al Yafei Z, Mack SJ, Alvares M, Ali, AlKaabi J, ElGhazali G. HLA-DRB1 and -DQB1 Alleles, Haplotypes and Genotypes in Emirati Patients with Type 1 Diabetes Underscores the Benefits of Evaluating Understudied Populations. Front Genet. 2022; 13:841879. 2. Al Kaabi N, Oulhaj A, Al Hosani FI, Al Mazrouei S, Najim O, Hussein SE, Abdalla JS, Fasihuddin MS, Hassan AA, Elghazali G, Parekh KA, Sheek-Hussein M. The incidence of COVID-19 infection following emergency use authorization of BBIBP-CORV inactivated vaccine in frontline workers in the United Arab Emirates. Sci Rep. 2022; 12:490. 3. Alvares M, Al Mahri A, Jannang R, Al Yafei Z, ElGhazali G. Detection of the novel allele, A*01:380:01:02, in a Bahraini individual by next generation sequencing. HLA. 2022; 99:33-34. 4. Alsuwaidi AR, Al Hosani FI, ElGhazali G, Al-Ramadi BK. The COVID-19 response in the United Arab Emirates: challenges and opportunities. Nat Immunol. 2021; 22:1066-1067. 5. Le Voyer T, Sakata S, Tsumura M, Khan T, Esteve-Sole A, Al-Saud BK, Gungor HE, Taur P, Jeanne-Julien V, Christiansen M, Köhler LM, ElGhazali G, Casanova JL, Okada S, Bustamante J. Genetic, Immunological, and Clinical Features of 32 Patients with Autosomal Recessive STAT1 Deficiency. J Immunol. 2021; 207):133-52. 6. Creary LE, Sacchi N, Mazzocco M, Morris GP, Montero-Martin G, Chong W, Brown CJ, Dinou A, ElGhazali G, Al Yafei Z, Askar M, Tyagi S, Kanga U, Marino SR, Fernández-Viña MA. High-resolution HLA allele and haplotype frequencies in several unrelated populations determined by next generation sequencing. Hum Immunol. 2021; 82:505-22. 7. Alvares M, Al Mahri A, Jannang R, Al Yafei Z, ElGhazali G. Characterization of the novel allele HLA-DRB1*01:01:36 in an Emirati donor. HLA. 2021; 98:176-177. 8. Sharma C, R Ali B, Osman W, Afandi B, Aburawi EH, Beshyah SA, Al-Mahayri Z, Al-Rifai RH, Al Yafei Z, ElGhazali G, Alkaabi J. Association of variants in PTPN22, CTLA-4, IL2-RA, and INS genes with type 1 diabetes in Emiratis. Ann Hum Genet. 2021; 85:48-57. 9. Alvares M, Al Mahri A, Jannang R, Al Yafei Z, ElGhazali G. Identification of the novel HLA-A*26:206N allele by next generation sequencing in an Emirati bone marrow donor. HLA. 2020; 96:717-718. 10. Cook SA, Comrie WA, Poli MC, Similuk M, Oler AJ, Faruqi AJ, Kuhns DB, Yang S, Vargas-Hernández A, Carisey AF, Fournier B, Chen B, ElGhazali G, Rao VK, Chinn IK, Lenardo MJ. HEM1 deficiency disrupts mTORC2 and F-actin control in inherited immunodysregulatory disease. Science. 2020; 369:202-07. 11. Al-Yafei Z, Goeury T, Alvares M, Al Seiari M, Sanchez-Mazas A, ElGhazali G. United Arab Emirates: Unusual departure from neutrality towards excess of homozygotes at the HLA-B locus. HLA. 2020; 95:470-473. 12. Al Yafei Z, Alvares MS, Alkatheeri LM, Al Mahri A, ElGhazali G. Identification of a novel HLA-C allele, HLA-C*16:123N, in an Emirati blood donor. HLA. 2019; 93:505-506 13. Arnaiz-Villena A, Yafei ZA, Juarez I, Palacio-Gruber J, Mahri AA, Alvares M, Lopez-Nares A, Nieto J, Al Seiari M, Martin-Villa JM, ElGhazali G. HLA genetic study from United Arab Emirates (UAE), Abu Dhabi. Hum Immunol. 2019; 80:421-422.
10
Our Publications • Publication Name: “The first nationwide surveillance of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales in the United Arab Emirates- increased association of Klebsiella pneumoniae clones CC14 clone with Emirati patients.” Published by: the International Journal of Infectious Diseases 120 (2022) 103-112 (ELSEVIER) • Publication Name: 10.7759/cureus.26072Nonspecific Interstitial Pneumonitis in a Child Associated with Hashimoto Thyroiditis (Al Qassimi). Published by: PUBMED online CUREUS case report DOI. • Publication Name: Introduction to SARS-CoV-2 Genomic Analysis with five Surv Lab Participants Published by: WHO course - University of Cambridge. • Publication Name: Poster Presentation-Co-Author (Virtual) - Overview of University Tract Infections (UTIs) in Adults in Five Arabian Gulf Countries. (SKMCA). • Published at: the 2nd Edition of World Congress on Infectious Diseases-Italy. 18/06/2022. • Publication Name: poster on Invasive Candidiasis - an Underdiagnosed Entity Published at: THe Virtual Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Summit.
11
Our New Tests
We are dedicated to consistently increasing our test menu by developing new tests in-house, resulting in quicker, efficient, and more accessible testing for healthcare providers and patients.
Click on the link below to view Pure Lab’s test menu www.purelab.com
Our Social Responsibility Campaigns and Events
Here is a list of campaigns and events that we launched and supported across our laboratories:
Our efforts to raise awareness of voluntary blood donations in saving lives and enhancing solidarity within communities. Ahmed Abdelmagid, Laboratory Manager at Shaam Hospital located in Ras Al Khaimah, led a campaign launched under the theme “Your Donation Impacts Lives”. The campaign witnessed many participants from across the UAE, who came to ensure greater impact for World Blood Donor Day and increase recognition that giving blood is a life-saving act of solidarity. Blood donors were offered free blood glucose testing and they were able to engage in an awareness exhibition on anemia and iron deficiency. All blood donors also received some giveaways as a recognition of their contributions to promoting the health and safety of the wider community.
12
Our Standards of Excellence
In the face of global risks, we roll up our sleeves and meet daily obstacles with creativity and bravery. Purelab provides the highest level of compassionate clinical care.
Operational Excellence
Operational excellence at Pure Lab is driven by each member of the organization, and their objective is to excel in the quality of the service, optimizing the resources available, driving efficiencies, and meeting patient and customer needs, critical to quality requirements. Continuous improvement is a philosophy that is critical to growing organizations, as the performance of any organization in the present will change over time and thus it is important to have stable processes and drive efficiencies.
Our KPIs
Processes of all functions are governed and monitored by the Operations Excellence Department, which also works on building the strategy for the organization by working with various teams and under the guidance of the leadership. Purelab teams have implemented various continuous improvements projects by consolidating tests to drive efficiencies and improve cost per test, quality control is standardized across all the labs at Purelab. Lean six sigma principles are used to manage projects and realise the efficiencies. Value stream mapping helps to improve the workflow and this principle is followed to make our processes lean.
13
Our Quality Assurance
Purelab implements international standards for quality management and is accredited through stringent requirements by recognized international bodies such as the College of American Pathologists (CAP), American Association of Blood Banks (AABB), Joint Commission International (JCI), and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Currently, Purelab is the largest network of laboratories accredited by EIAC and ENAS for ISO15189:2012 across the GCC. With a dedicated central quality team, Purelab ensures ongoing compliance with local regulators such as the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP), the Department of Health - Abu Dhabi (DoH) and Dubai Health Authority (DHA). Pure Lab is the largest network of laboratories accredited by EIAC and ENAS for ISO15189:2012 across the GCC.
14
Some of our key achievements in the second quarter include the following:
• Certificate of Appreciation for Dr. Ayeda Al Mahri, Senior Clinical Scientist, Sheikh Khalifa Medical City - HLA Laboratory from the Higher Colleges of Technology. • DOH Premarital screening audits for Ghayathi, DFMC, Delma, and Silla Laboratories were carried out by Tasneef Auditors.
• QDMS - Quality Management Software implementation in Purelab Laboratories went live on 1 July 2022. • Al Ain Hospital laboratory has achieved ISO-15189:2012 from the Emirates National Accreditation System (ENAS). • Liwa Laboratory participated for the first time in the process of the Joint Commission International accreditation. • A series of internal audits covering 14 AHS clinics to assess POCT and Phlebotomy services staff compliance with policies, accreditation standards, staff training and education were carried out in preparation for JCIA, Tasneef, and DOH audits. • A thank you note and appreciation letter to Marfa Laboratory Phlebotomists and technologists was received from the hospital management.
• ISO Training for regional medical directors completed.
• Successfully received the ISO 15189:2012 certificates for Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah Laboratories.
• Successful ISO 15189:2012 surveillance for 10 laboratories in the northern region this year.
• QDMS training sessions were held for the service lines by the central quality team on June 28th and 30th, 2022.
(JCI) Accredited Hospitals 65
Labs that are part of Joint Commission International
09 31 03
Labs accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP)
Labs accredited by EIAC and ENAS for ISO 15189:2012
Our blood bank and transfusion departments are accredited by AABB (Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies).
15
Our Brilliant Minds
Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Activities
Competent Staff Means Reliable Results
This quarter witnessed significant growth in our Continuing Development Programme (CPD) as more people, both internally and externally, took advantage of our various educational activities. It was great to see subject matter experts from across our Purelab network participate as speakers. More than 400 attendees benefited from presentations covering topics in microbiology, immunology, clinical chemistry, hematopathology, transfusion medicine, virology as well as anatomic
pathology. Our accredited live webinars are proving to be a popular way to obtain CME points.
It is refreshing to know that the HLA Laboratory actively trains resident doctors, interns and clinical fellows in the histocompatibility and Immunogenetics field. A rotation through the laboratory is a great way for HLA technologists to get to know them and help them gain practical knowledge in laboratory techniques, case studies and result interpretation.
16
Performance Driven Culture “It is time for a new generation of leadership, to cope with new problems and new opportunities. For there is a new world to be won.”
-John F. Kennedy, July 4, 1960
The Human Resources Department at Purelab ensures that a considerable attention is rightly paid to training and development for its staff and leaders.
The “License to Lead”- a uniquely blended learning experience was launched to understand the rules of leadership, develop competencies, skills and the confidence to operate as highly effective leaders.
The main objective of this programme is to mentor leaders on their ground breaking path in managing people and business.
17
Medical Webinars
We organized three PureLab Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Webinars. One was held on August 26th and attended by over 200 attendees, who received their accredited certificates from the DHA. The webinar attracted a good mix of attendees: mostly from Purelab, EHS, private hospitals, and universities.
In efforts to create a sustainable corporate culture, Purelab hosted the first Executive Breakfast gathering with the CEO. Leaders from Southern and Northern labs engaged in organizational conversations to ensure two-way communication needed for smooth operations and to boost productivity in the corporate environment and across the Purelab network.
Employee Recognition
PHCs and PMDs in Fujairah region celebrated the lab day to honor and recognize the works and contributions being done by teams across Purelab. The event also included a technical demonstration and insights on how the laboratory supports its partners and customers. PHCs and PMDs in Ajman, Dubai, and Umm Al Quwain conducted a one-day celebration in efforts to engage their employees and to provide an opportunity to increase public awareness, understanding, and appreciation for laboratory professionals and their commitment.
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Issued by the Marketing and Communications Department in Purelab-HQ
For feedback and insights, please email: Marketing@purelab.com
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