Cerba HealthCare and the International Clinical Laboratories (ICL) sign strategic partnerships to support long term health response locally and increase of patient access to a broader range of laboratory testing across the continent.
The agreement was inked on September 29, 2022, and as indicated, the agreement is expected to leverage the world-class expertise range of Cerba HealthCare and its existing pan-African network Cerba Lancet Africa to sustainably meet the diagnostic tool expectations of patients, physicians and hospitals nationwide.
“This partnership reflects our desire to develop the existing diagnostic offering in Africa, meeting the needs of the greatest number of people across the continent,” said Stéphane Carré, Cerba Lancet Africa CEO at the signing ceremony adding, “We share with ICL management team the same desire to actively and continually upgrade the clinical pathology services in Ethiopia to enable healthcare providers to deliver essential medical support to patients throughout the country.”
As signaled in the signing ceremony, the partnership will not only allow ICL to bolster its unique position in Ethiopia but also serve thousands of patients from surrounding regions including Somalia, Djibouti and South Sudan.
ICL Ethiopia Managing Director Dr. Tamrat Bekele said that the partnership will allow ICL to tap into the huge resources and expertise of Cerba HealthCare, specifically in the field of; oncology, genetics, companion diagnostics, preventive medicine, patient and physician education and research to tackle unique and challenging issues.
“Joining the Cerba HealthCare family is one of my greatest achievements in terms of being able to expand our service and continue to provide quality tests to the population of Ethiopia and the surrounding region,” Dr. Tamrat underlined.
Cerba Lancet Africa is by majority owned by the French group Cerba HealthCare, benefiting from a unique positioning on the whole value chain of medical diagnosis. Alongside a worldwide presence through its expertise in clinical pathology for clinical trials, the Group has sound positions in Europe and Africa.
Cerba HealthCare set foot on the African continent in 2019 where it operates today in 15 countries under the Cerba Lancet Africa umbrella, providing access to accurate diagnosis and high-quality care to more almost 3 million people yearly.
In Ethiopia, ICL stands as the reference player in clinical pathology with unparalleled experience and reputation. Its strong presence across the country allowed the ICL’s team to play a critical role in handling the COVID-19 pandemic, which has exposed vulnerabilities of the numerous health systems across the globe and specifically the African one, together with the need for increased testing and diagnostic services.