AKUH’s laboratories get international accreditation

KARACHI: The clinical laboratories of Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) have become the first in country to be accredited by College of American Pathologists (CAP).

This was announced by AKUH Chief Executive Officer Hans Kedzierski in a press conference held at hospital’s premises on Tuesday.

Laboratory testing is an essential part of a quality healthcare service, said Kedzierski. “Most of the decisions regarding a patient’s diagnosis and treatment are usually based on laboratory test results.”

The CAP’s Laboratory Accreditation Programme is an extensive and rigorous exercise which assures the quality of the laboratories. A team of nine CAP inspectors has visited Pakistan last year to audit quality records, staff qualifications, tests validation, equipment, facilities, safety programmes and overall management. In order to the get the certificate, AKUH performed 3,000 different mandatory procedures.

“I would like to congratulate AKUH for being the first CAP accredited laboratory in Pakistan,” said CAP President Richard C. Friedberg.

“We know that the journey has been the long one, but we are sure and certain that the benefits of our accreditation and your continual desire to improve your services, your performance, your accuracy, your reliability, and your precision will benefit the patients in Pakistan,” he added.

Shagufta Hassan, Chief Operating Officer of Clinical Laboratories and Outreach Services, remarked that CAP accreditation is an attestation that AKUH Clinical Laboratories have achieved the gold standard in laboratory medicine.

“Since it was formed, AKUH has aimed to achieve international standards in our teaching, research, and care for patients,” said Aga Khan University President Firoz Rasul. “Validation of our practices through international accreditation gives patients the assurance that standards match the best in the world.”

For the convenience of patients, the laboratories also offer online reports, SMS alerts and detailed multi-column reports.

AKUH laboratories are the largest laboratory network in Pakistan. Besides the main clinical laboratory in Karachi, there are 250 regional laboratories, medical centres and specimen collection units in over 100 cities across the country.