Al Mokhtabar, Egypt’s leading diagnostics brand, announced the enhancement of its operational capabilities at the Mega Lab through the launch of the FLEXLAB™ -X automation track from Siemens Healthineers, the first of its kind in the Middle East and Africa.
This development comes as a second step in Al Mokhtabar’s innovation journey, driven by its firm vision to lead the diagnostic landscape and adopt the latest technological advancements in automation, aiming to accelerate the sample testing journey inside the Mega Lab and raise its efficiency.
The Mega Lab is the operational heart of Al Mokhtabar’s network, which includes more than 460 branches nationwide, serving approximately 5 million patients annually through an integrated network of branches and home visit services. Al Mokhtabar is also the only laboratory in Egypt with College of American Pathologists (CAP) accreditation, which it has maintained for 15 consecutive years.
The new FLEXLAB™ -X track from Siemens Healthineers allows the processing of up to 30,000 samples and 87,000 tests per day, with the ability to scale as demand for diagnostic services grows. The system has achieved an average turnaround time of 32.4 minutes, significantly outperforming Al Mokhtabar’s target KPI of 120 minutes, which supports faster diagnosis and more efficient medical decision-making for physicians.
The system also enhances the post-analytical workflow through automated refrigerated storage for more than 25,000 samples, ensuring they are safely preserved. It enables automated retrieval and reuse of the same sample in less than 30 seconds for any additional tests, without any human intervention to ensure the correct selection of re-tested samples and without the need to draw a new sample from the patient. For patients, this means faster results, a reduced need for repeat blood draws, and broader access to advanced diagnostics.
The track supports routine and diagnostic testing. The list of tests supported by the system includes clinical chemistry, immunoassays, oncology diagnostics, cardiac biomarkers, thyroid testing, advanced liver tests, multiple sclerosis testing, and infectious diseases. This boosts the Mega Lab’s capacity to manage a wide range of advanced and high-volume tests with greater efficiency, speed, and consistent quality, backed by tight operational oversight that ensures result accuracy and reliability.
The FLEXLAB™ -X from Siemens Healthineers enhances the accuracy and efficiency of the sample journey through an integrated automated workflow, accelerating test completion and ensuring more consistent results and a better experience for physicians and patients.
The new track also improves the accuracy of patient results through a set of technical tests utilizing artificial intelligence for remote mechanical performance testing of devices, the ability to predict faults before they occur, and a series of statistical tests on the samples themselves to verify result validity.
Commenting on the launch, Dr. Hend El Sherbini, Chief Executive Officer of Integrated Diagnostics Holdings (IDH), the parent company of Al Mokhtabar, said: “The new track gives physicians faster, more dependable answers across multiple specialties. In addition to speed and capacity, the Mega Lab brings together more than 300 physicians and specialists in hematology, clinical chemistry, immunology, molecular biology, genetics, microbiology, transplantation testing, and food and water analysis. It offers over 3,000 tests and parameters, including more than 300 specialized indicators not widely available elsewhere, alongside advanced capabilities in diagnosing metabolic disorders, heavy metals, and molecular diagnostics.”
Ahmed Mazen, Director of Laboratory Solutions at Siemens Healthineers Egypt, stated: “We are proud to partner with Al Mokhtabar in launching the first FLEXLAB™ -X Total Lab Automation system in the Middle East and Africa, which represents an important milestone in the development of laboratory diagnostic services in the region. This achievement reflects Siemens Healthineers’ commitment to supporting healthcare providers with the latest automation and innovation solutions, contributing to enhanced operational efficiency, faster results, and enabling laboratories to deliver more accurate and reliable diagnostic services, positively impacting the experience of both patients and physicians.”
This collaboration between Al Mokhtabar and Siemens Healthineers underscores both parties’ commitment to accelerating the adoption of the latest innovations in laboratory diagnostics, contributing to the development of healthcare services in Egypt and the region, and setting new standards for operational efficiency and diagnostic quality.
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