EBRD, EU help Egypt’s Shalaby Lab expand its health services

12 / 01 / 2020

By Marwa Nassar - -

The European Bank for Reconstruction andDevelopment (EBRD) joined hands with the European Union to support One of Egypt’s largest medical clinics Shalaby Laboratory to develop and expand its health services in line with the Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3) on Health and Well-Being.

Having achieved momentum in their operations and turnover, Shalaby Lab decided to go forward with their idea of expanding the business into more clinics in Egypt’s Delta region.

But their rudimentary human resource model prevented them from managing their teams more effectively to expand the department and support their increasing operations.

Gaps in performance planning and assessment along with a lack of specific training programs needed to be addressed before they could take their idea further.

The EBRD together with the European Union helped Shalaby Lab find the right HR specialist to advise on a cohesive strategy aligned with their lab’s objectives.

The expert reviewed the lab’s organizational structure and held separate meetings with departments to assess their individual needs.

Recalling the project’s success, Dr Marwan expounded how the advisory services “opened a new horizon for me to utilize my clinic staff potentials to the maximum”.

“Establishing training programs for staff was the extra boost we needed. Now we can guarantee that each patient, each sample, is treated exactly the same way every time by every member of our staff,” he added.

The story of Shalaby Laboratory is a remarkable example. The company dates back to 1994, when it was first opened by Marwan Shalaby’s father in Damanhour, Egypt.

Fast-forward to today and Marwan Shalaby is a doctor who manages the family-owned clinic. But now, Shalaby Lab is fully equipped and stands as one of the biggest clinics in the region in terms of variety and complexity of tests.

Shalaby Lab is also uniquely positioned in the healthcare sector in Egypt. Unlike other clinics, Dr Marwan’s laboratory brings an extensive repertoire of medical examinations and diagnostics all under one roof.

Instead of waiting for results processed in an external facility – which in some cases can take weeks – patients undergo examinations and receive results all in one go. In-house labs are therefore a game-changer in terms of their ability to provide more responsive care.

Working tirelessly every day of the year, providing quality care to more than 500 patients daily, Shalaby Lab raises healthcare services in Egypt to global standards but at the local price point.

The clinic delivers results for over 600 different medical tests, from microbial to cancer diagnostics, using state-of-the-art equipment.

“We have taken the lead in this industry by implementing high-tech equipment with automated sample analyzers supported by solid infrastructure and IT solutions,” said Dr Marwan.