Pakistan’s first fully automated biochemistry laboratory has been launched at the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) by its President Firoz Rasul.
This state-of-the-art lab, capable of processing 8 million to 10 million clinical chemistry tests annually, represents a milestone in diagnostic testing in Pakistan.
For the patient, it means even more accurate test results within a shorter period of time.
For AKUH, it would increase the clinical laboratory’s workload capacity up to threefold.
“With over 700 test menus offered, the AKUH’s laboratories perform over 7 million tests every year, processing samples from Pakistan, as well as Afghanistan, the United Arab Emirates, East Africa and Central Asia,” said AKUH Clinical Laboratories Director Dr Farooq Ghani.
Ghani said, “The automated system has streamlined and improved the analysis of blood samples, increasing not only our capacity but our efficiency as we can provide improved quality, a reduction in lab errors and a shorter and more predictable turnaround time.”
The system also requires less space and fewer staff, helping meet the cost improvement objectives.
The automated lab would help the AKUH maintain a high-quality diagnostic testing service, not only for its patients within the hospital, but within the wider community in Pakistan and elsewhere, serviced by more than 190 laboratory collection units.
All samples coming for testing are also barcoded – the codes contain patient and test information – to eliminate any identification errors and speed up testing.
Additionally, almost all the centres, the 11 regional labs and the main lab in Karachi have been linked electronically, allowing test results to be reported as soon as they are conducted.
