The launch of a medical laboratories services strategy is a result of collaboration between Ministry of Health, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Speaking during the annual laboratory managers workshop and the launch of the strategy in Palapye on October 24, Minister of Health, Dr Edwin Dikoloti said medical laboratories play a critical role in the health system. He said 70 per cent of medical decisions were made through laboratory diagnosis and that the strategy would help improve services provided. The minister said laboratories were central to health and precision in medical practice, which made the launch of the strategy special. He said the strategy would not only align laboratory services with the Ministry of Health strategy of improving health care for all through a revitalised primary health care system, but also with the global discourse. Dr Dikoloti said health systems globally, were implored to put in mechanisms that were resilient to emergencies and responsive, adding that with the strategy, that was what laboratory services in Botswana would achieve. He noted that government was on a drive to digitise the economy and that his ministry had joined it. In addition, he said laboratories generated a lot of data that needed to be processed for decision-making, and that through the strategy, digitisation would form the backbone of laboratory processes to safeguard against losing data and time when paper based systems were used. �We will take advantage of the newly launched SmartBots initiative to improve services rendered to Batswana,� he said. He also said the launch of the strategy came at the right time when President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi had introduced the Reset Agenda that has mindset change and digitisation in its five key priorities. Dr Dikoloti said the launch of the strategy would give his ministry the opportunity to join the agenda and reset. �We will ensure we do things differently and efficiently to safeguard the lives of Batswana,� he said. Furthermore, he said the strategy could not have come at a better time when the world and Botswana had just emerged from COVID-19, adding that the pandemic tested systems and found them lacking. He applauded laboratory services for the gallant fight they provided during COVID-19. The minister urged laboratory managers to introspect and provide insightful decisions that would impact on the care of patients, adding that he was optimistic that the outcome would not only improve the health sector, but would also go a long way in contributing to the economy of the country. WHO representative, Dr Josephine Namboze said the laboratory sector played an essential and fundamental role in fulfilling health systems goals of achieving universal health coverage and health-related Sustainable Development Goals. She said reliable and timely results from laboratory investigations were crucial in decision making in all aspects of health services and disease prevention as well as control programmes. However, Dr Namboze said despite their central role, strengthening nationally coordinated laboratory services has until recently, received little or inadequate attention in many countries, and that it had resulted in laboratory services having low national priority in respect to financing, planning and service delivery. She also noted that COVID-19 highlighted the importance of health laboratories and evidence-based medical and public health practices. Also, she added that it was imperative that health laboratories were strengthened to provide information to make informed decisions. She said WHO recognised the need to strengthen the laboratory sector as evidenced by the adoption of laboratory specific policies and strategies in yearly WHO regional committees. The laboratory chief at the US CDC, Ms Tebogo Bothate-Lesetedi said the partnership between the US and Ministry of Health over diagnostics went as far back as the CDC presence in Botswana. She added that the partnership involved financial support and different forms of technical assistance.