Eureka Medical Laboratories (EML) started off in a small office on Waterloo Street, Georgetown and with three employees – the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) William Andrew Boyle, his wife Dr. Karen Boyle, and a cleaner.
Now, 27 years on, Eureka is a household name and has blossomed into one of Guyana’s premier medical institutions with eight locations across the country and one regionally – St. Vincent. The main branch is located at 263 Thomas Street, North Cummingsburg, Georgetown.
It was a dream of Boyle, a microbiologist, to own a lab and he shared with the News Room on Tuesday that many branded his idea “crazy” but it did not deter him.
“We were doing basic things…complete blood count, urinalysis, HIV tests, those basic things and we only had three persons so three staff members were working for about two years and then things started to grow and all services actually took off, really took off,” he shared.
Now, Eureka has provided jobs for over 100 persons hailing from Guyana, Cuba, the Philippines and neighbouring Venezuela, offering more services that were not accessible in Guyana before.
Tests for STIs, blood sugar, fertility, drugs, food allergies and screenings for cancer and pregnancy and also genetic testing (DNA) are among the services offered.
A major milestone for the medical institution was becoming the first lab to receive certification from the government to administer COVID-19 tests in Guyana. But this did not come without challenges, Boyle said.
“When we first started COVID testing, we struggled because we had to send the samples overseas and it would take days to get the results.
“That was then, and now, we complete at least 100 COVID-19 tests daily and persons can get their results back in five hours or a day,” the CEO explained.
The company now has a state of the art virology lab that can detect the common or mutated strains of the COVID-19 virus. The lab was named after Boyle’s late brother, Collin who passed away shortly after the pandemic hit Guyana. 
And to expand its COVID-19 testing capacity, Eureka also commissioned a drive-thru testing facility in February.
Eureka has also expanded its services to tap into Guyana’s oil sector, through a partnership with Atlantic Offshore Medical Services Ltd (AOMS) to provide occupational health services and surveillance, as well as disability management; on-site emergency response, health promotion and education, and remote services to oil companies operating offshore.
The CEO credited his success to his hardworking team who he says strives every day to uphold Eureka’s standards.
“The quality of our services is second to none. We have a team of individuals who really do the honours, do their best to make sure that your Eureka stands out.
“I get all the credit but I do not deserve it. Those who deserve the credit will be the team members, those team members who go in the trenches and get infected and all that…they are the ones who deserved the kudos.”
To mark the anniversary celebrations, Boyle said Eureka will be giving back to the public, offering free tests and 50 per cent off on other medical services.
“This is just to say thank you very much for supporting us over the over the 27 years.”
