JOHANNESBURG: The National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), alongside the international community, observe World Laboratory Day on 23 April 2026. This day falls within the Medical Laboratory Professionals Week, which runs from 19-25 April 2026.
By recognising these global observances, the NHLS highlights the essential role of public diagnostic laboratories and the remarkable individuals within them. These professionals, often unsung and unseen, are vital to each patient’s journey toward diagnosis, treatment, and care.
Serving approximately 85% of the South African population, the NHLS operates a vast countrywide network of over 233 laboratories, including four Forensic Chemistry Laboratories in Pretoria, Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban. This remarkable footprint enables NHLS to deliver services at scale, ensuring that millions have access to quality public healthcare.

“On this World Laboratory Day, we pay tribute to the invaluable NHLS laboratory network, a cornerstone that connects communities, healthcare professionals, and care delivery through timely and precise diagnostic services. This network supports early detection, life-saving interventions, and disease surveillance, linking everyone from remote facilities to major urban hospitals,” asserts NHLS CEO, Prof Koleka Mlisana.
Laboratory medicine is the backbone of healthcare management, with about 70% of clinical decisions dependent on laboratory diagnostics. Every day, numerous samples are received, processed, analysed, and transformed into results that support vital clinical interventions.

At the core of South Africa’s public health system are the NHLS laboratory professionals, who might appear invisible and yet are invaluable. Though patients may never meet them, their impact is profound. They are the unseen champions behind every diagnosis, empowering clinicians to make informed decisions, guide treatment pathways, and save lives. Their dedication embodies the NHLS ethos: precision, trust, and scale, creating a national impact with every sample and every outcome.
“As we honour Medical Laboratory Professionals Week, we celebrate a vital workforce that is often unacknowledged yet immensely resilient. These professionals do not simply work behind the scenes; they are at the core of a comprehensive and interconnected laboratory network supporting the public health system in South Africa,” states Prof Mlisana.

“The contributions of our professionals fortify our public health system, promote equitable access to healthcare, and enhance health outcomes for millions of South Africans. The NHLS stands firm in its commitment to support, invest in, and elevate the laboratory profession as a national priority.”
The NHLS reaffirms its dedication to strengthening and modernising the laboratory network, striving for excellence in turnaround times, and fulfilling its national mandate to provide accessible, quality diagnostic services that are fundamental to South Africa’s public health system.
Prof Mlisana concludes: “To every NHLS employee: you are the driving force of our public health system. This week, anchored by World Laboratory Day, represents more than recognition; it is an acknowledgement of your vital role. We see you, we value you, and we remain resolute in our commitment to uplift and support you.”

Ends.

For more information and media enquiries, please contact:
Mr Mzi Gcukumana
Head of Communication
National Health Laboratory Service
Tel: 011 386 6008 | Cell: 066 376 3171
Mzimasi.gcukumana@nhls.ac.za