• The partnership* illustrates Cerba HealthCare’s strategy to support long term health response locally and increase patient access to a broader range of laboratory testing across the continent 
   

• International Clinical Laboratories (ICL) will 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.

Johannesburg (South Africa) and Addis-Ababa (Ethiopia), 29th September 2022 - Cerba Lancet Africa, a benchmark in the field of medical diagnosis in Africa, today announced it has signed a strategic partnership with International Clinical Laboratories (ICL) Ethiopia, the leading private clinical pathology laboratory in the country serving more than 3 million patients over the past 17 years.

Cerba Lancet Africa is 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 thanks to its historical activities in routine and specialty clinical pathology. 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 all over 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.

Cerba Lancet Africa CEO Stéphane Carré commented: “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. 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. This partnership not only will allow ICL to bolster its unique position in Ethiopia but also serve thousands of patients from surrounding region including Somalia, Djibouti and South Sudan. I am pleased to count on the Cerba Lancet Africa 1,600 employees’ team spirit and professionalism to welcome the talented people of ICL Ethiopia.”

ICL Ethiopia Chief Executive Director Dr Tamrat Bekele added: “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.  It will allow us to tap into the huge resources and expertise of Cerba HealthCare, specifically in field of oncology, genetics, companion diagnostics, preventive medicine, patient and physician education and research to tackle unique and challenging issues. This new foundation will allow us to expand our test menu and offer unique services and tests that will contribute to the growth of the country’s health care system. We are excited about this partnership and look forward to being part of the growing Cerba Lancet Africa network in the continent.”

* Cerba Lancet Africa has acquired Medpharm Holdings Africa which has operations in Ethiopia through its ICL branch