Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, has issued the following statement in recognition of Medical Laboratory Week, April 9-15, 2023:

“I would like to acknowledge the medical laboratory professionals who work in hospitals and community laboratory facilities across the province.

“Medical laboratory professionals – including medical laboratory assistants, medical laboratory technologists, combined laboratory X-ray technologists, diagnostic cytology technologists, clinical genetics technologists, laboratory medicine physicians, pathologists and administrators – play an integral role in British Columbia’s health-care system. Their work contributes to a significant amount of all clinical decisions, including cancer diagnoses and treatment plans.

“Throughout the pandemic, medical laboratory professionals were on the front lines administering and processing several million lab-based COVID-19 tests. We are grateful for their resilience and dedication as they worked tirelessly to provide timely and accurate results to health-care providers and public health officials, develop new testing protocols, and monitor the evolution of the virus in our communities.

“This is the second year that British Columbia has formally recognized Medical Laboratory Week by proclamation.

“Medical Laboratory Week not only recognizes the lab professionals’ significant contribution to managing the COVID-19 pandemic, but it also serves as a reminder of the importance of their daily work to keep us safe and ensure we get the diagnostic testing we need, when we need it.”