Dr. Ghassan SHANNAN, BSc, PhD
IFCC Treasurer, SCLA President

The Syrian Clinical Laboratory Association, SCLA, was established in 1974 when a group of enthusiastic colleagues decided to form an organization for private laboratories in Syria.
During the last thirty years SCLA was able to establish itself as the sole representative of the Laboratory Medicine Profession. SCLA is consulted by the Syrian Authority including the Ministry of Health for all matters concerning the Laboratory Medicine profession. SCLA proposes to the Ministry of Health the tariff of laboratory tests and controls the implementation and adherence to the tariff.
SCLA runs and finances a Total Quality Management Programme in collaboration with the Ministry of Health; participation of Medical Laboratories in this programme is mandatory by law. A Continuous Medical Education Programme is also organized and executed by SCLA.

A scientific Conference is held every two years and several workshops, symposia are held every few months, some in collaboration with other medical societies.
A journal is published by SCLA; the articles are published in their original languages, English, French or Arabic. The journal is recognized by the Ministry of Higher Education and the Syrian Universities. This journal publishes in addition to original articles, peer reviews and international and local news.
A website was established in 2003 which is used as forum for communications between the Executive Board and members at large.
The General Assembly is highest authority of the Syrian Clinical Laboratory Association. The General Assembly consists of Members of the Executive Committees of the 12 Syrian counties in addition to an elected number of representatives proportional to the number of colleagues in each county.
The General Assembly meets once a year at least. Any changes in the status and/or Rules must be approved by the General Assembly and then ratified by the Minister of Health.
The General Assembly elects the nine member Executive Board; President, Vice President, Past President, Secretary, Treasure and 4 members.
The term of office for the Executive Board and the Executive Committees is four years. Elections start usually in the month of October of the fourth year of office and the new committees start their responsibilities in January of the following year.



Laboratory Medicine practice in Syria includes all disciplines, Clinical Chemistry, Haematology, Microbiology, Immunology and Blood Banking. However, to practice Laboratory Medicine in Syria, one has to have a graduate degree in Medicine, Pharmacy or Biological Science and a Master�s degree or a PhD in one of the Lab Medicine specialities.
Private practice in Syria is one of the major providers of Laboratory Medicine Services; in addition to the Public Hospitals which are run by the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Higher Education and Ministry of Defence.
SCLA is an active and founder member of the Arab Federation of Clinical Biology, AFCB. SCLA hosted two AFCB congresses in 1994 and 2006. SCLA is also an active member of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry & Laboratory Medicine, IFCC. SCLA has participated in most IFCC activities and benefited from various services offered by IFCC including the Visiting Lecturer Programme. All Regional and National Congresses are held under IFCC auspices with active participations from IFCC officers.

About Syria
Jocelyn M. Hicks, President, IFCC

Syria borders Lebanon to the west, Israel to the southwest, Jordan to the south, Turkey to the north and Iraq to the east. The modern state of Syria attained its independence from the French Mandate in 1946, but it can trace its historical roots to 4000 BC. Its capital city, Damascus, was the seat of the Umayyad Empire and a provisional capital of the Mamluk Empire.
The population of Syria is about 19 million, of whom the majority  are Arabic-speaking Sunni Muslims. About 16% are other Muslim groups and 10% Christians. Damascus retains a tiny Jewish population. Since 1970, the head of state has been a member of the Assad family. The current President (from 2000) is Bashar Al-Assad,  a medical doctor (ophthalmology).
Historically, the name Syria arose from the ancient Greek name for the former colonial territories of Assyria, such as Canaan and Cilicia. Syria was divided into a number of provinces under the Roman Empire, each of which was politically independent of the others: Judea named Palestina in 135 AD (corresponding to what is now Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Territories); and Phoenicia, now Lebanon. Syrian civilization is one of the oldest on earth. Several ancient cities have been excavated, including Ebla (2400 BC), Mari, Ugasit and Dura  Europos.

Syria has 14 governates, headed by a governor proposed by the Minister of the Interior. Its major cities are Damascus (3000 BC), Aleppo, Latakia, Homs and Hama. Syria is a parliamentary republic and its views are largely governed by the Baath Party, although 6 other parties are also represented.
Economically, Syria is a middle income developing country with an economy based primarily on agriculture, industry and energy.  Foreign exchange controls still hamper its growth, and the level of investments is low. Oil production has dwindled off, but it is expected that new foreign investment will increase production in 2-3 years.  About a third of the land is arable. The state of the economy is reflected in the 20-25 % unemployment rate in a population of which 60% is under the age of 20y. Although the official language is Arabic, other languages (Kurdish, Armenian and Aramaic) are also spoken.
I had the great pleasure of visiting Syria last year early in my Presidency, and found the sites of Damascus, ancient Palmyra and Ma�loula extremely interesting. The Syrians I encountered could not have been more welcoming and helpful.