The 8th Medical Laboratories Conference will take place on 16–17 November 2026 at Grand Hyatt Hotel Kuwait in Kuwait City, Kuwait. Held under the patronage of Kuwait’s Minister of Health, Dr. Ahmad Abdulwahab Al-Awadhi, it is organised by the Ministry of Health, State of Kuwait, under the leadership of the Medical Departments Council and Medical Laboratory Directorate. The conference focuses on advances in clinical virology and medical laboratory excellence, including innovations in diagnostics, quality and laboratory practice.
Its scientific rationale reflects the emergence and re-emergence of viral pathogens, the move from single-target assays to multiplex and sequencing-based platforms, and evolving international laboratory accreditation requirements. The organisers aim to bring international scientific and regulatory developments into practical guidance for Kuwait’s clinical, research and diagnostic laboratory workforce. Target participants include virologists, microbiologists, infectious disease physicians, molecular laboratory scientists, technologists, laboratory directors, quality managers, public-health specialists, researchers and students.
The two-day programme covers hepatitis viruses, viral paediatric illnesses, human papillomaviruses and advances in molecular diagnostics on the first day. Published talks address functional cure of hepatitis B, HCV elimination, EBV in intensive care, hand-foot-and-mouth disease, RSV immunisation, HPV-related disease and molecular workflow automation. The second day moves to laboratory excellence and emerging viral threats, HIV prevention and treatment, viral infections in immunocompromised patients, and antimicrobial stewardship and surveillance in Kuwait. The complete official agenda is attached below and its published sessions are indexed separately.
Three parallel, three-hour short courses address ISO 15189:2022 updates, quality assurance throughout the molecular diagnostic pathway, and laboratory quality management using Performance Improvement Projects and Key Performance Indicators. Their descriptions include practical cases, risk management, quality indicators, clinical interpretation and improvement planning. These courses overlap with parts of the main programme, so delegates should check their preferred schedule with the organiser.
Conference registration is explicitly free and includes access to scientific activity and coffee breaks. The live registration form was verified as open on 30 October 2026. KFAS, the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences, is the visibly credited sponsor. The official site advertises “12 CME Points,” but does not identify the approving accreditation body; no SCFHS approval is claimed here.
Abstract submissions are closed. The dedicated abstract page gives 4 October 2026 as the deadline, while the embedded form says 15 October; both dates have passed. The ISO course header and main agenda give 13:30–16:30, but its internal module table runs 13:00–16:00. The PDF leaves the molecular-quality course presenter as “tbd,” while the live pages name Dr. Faizan Haider Khan. These source discrepancies are retained for organiser clarification rather than silently resolved.
Download the complete official scientific programme (PDF)
