A state-of-the-art stat laboratory has been launched by Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) in Rawalpindi, to better service the phlebotomy test needs of the twin cities of ‘Pindi and Islamabad as well as surrounding areas of northern Punjab.
The stat lab will decrease test turnaround time, which from the patient’s perspective, reduces the waiting time for results and from the doctor’s permits physicians to make medical decisions in real time. The ‘Pindi lab joins AKUH’s country-wide lab system, that includes a main lab with 12 stat labs and 192 specimen collection units throughout Pakistan. This lab will also perform procedures like fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsies and Pap smear tests.
“This is our second initiative this year, to improve access and the quality of healthcare services offered in Pakistan. In February, AKUH’s Clinical Laboratories established Pakistan’s first fully automated biochemistry laboratory at the main lab in Karachi,” said Dr Farooq Ghani, Director Outreach, AKUH Clinical Laboratories.
“Now it is launching a stat lab in ‘Pindi. All the stat labs and the main lab are linked electronically, allowing test results to be reported as soon as they are performed. Patients can also get their reports online, if they wish, instead of visiting the laboratory collection points again,” he said.
Speaking at the inaugural session, Prof. Dr Naila Kayani, Chair, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, and Director, Clinical Laboratories, discussed the service and research aspects of pathology department backstopping the laboratory system. “Quality is a hallmark of AKUH laboratories. The system is supported by AKU’s highly qualified and experienced faculty that have academic and research responsibilities and are responsible for the delivery of complex laboratory services in a teaching hospital.”
The chief guest on the occasion, AKUH’s Regional CEO for Health Services Asia, Nadeem Mustafa Khan, lauded the clinical laboratories’ continuous efforts to provide timely and high quality lab tests in conformance with stringent international quality standards.
