On behalf of the ZINQAP Board of Trustees and the ZASCO Organising Committee I would like to welcome you the 2011 edition of the ZINQAP Scientific Conference (ZASCO). ZASCO is an important event on the medical laboratory calendar. ZASCO is a conference, organised by Zimbabweans and provides laboratory professionals and clinicians with an opportunity to network, share experiences and assist each other in developing strategies to address common challenges. As in the past the conference has attracted international and regional presenters and participants making ZASCO a world class conference. I would like to especially welcome our guest speaker Dr. Andrew Cakana.