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Clinical Laboratories

• Department of Clinical Laboratories
• Collection Units In Karachi
• Collection Units Outside Karachi
• Collection Units (Outside Pakistan) Kabul, Afghanistan

Introduction

Laboratory services are provided through a well-equipped, highly automated and professionally run facility, providing 24-hour service seven days a week, including holidays, by a team of full-time histopathologists, haematologists, chemical pathologists, molecular pathologists and microbiologists. The services offer routine and special clinical chemistry, haematology, blood transfusion, microbiology, immunology, surgical pathology, cytology and molecular pathology.

Specialised sections of the laboratory include Endocrine Laboratory, Cytogenetics, Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) including Pathvysion (Breast Her2 – neugene amplification) and Aneuvysion (detection of numerical aberration in chromosomes 13, 18, 21, X and Y), Aspiration Cytology including Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA), Frozen Sections, Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and Molecular Pathology. Accuracy and precision of tests are maintained by strict internal and external quality control procedures.

Services

Clinical laboratories provide a complete array of routine and specialised services. The services are related to all six branches of laboratory/pathology including haematology, blood bank, clinical chemistry, clinical microbiology, histopathology, cytopathology and molecular pathology. Over 800 routine and specialised tests such as general biochemical profiles, enzyme profiles, endocrine assays, karyotyping, flow cytometry and HLA typing are available along with several other special tests which are not available elsewhere in Pakistan.

Laboratory testing is also provided for the diagnosis and management of haematological disorders such as anaemias and thrombocytic disorders. Diagnostic microbiological services include the determination and identification of bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites. Serologic tests are also available for various bacterial, viral, fungal and protozoal diseases. Histopathological and cytopathological services have all the specialised procedures and techniques, such as immunoperoxidase, immunofluorescence, muscle enzymes, histochemical and flow cytometry techniques to enhance diagnostic accuracy. Services for fine needle aspiration and pap smear are also available. A team of full-time consultants and technologists with extensive training and experience is committed to keeping the clinical laboratory at the cutting edge of technology.

Educational/ Training Programmes

Trainee Technologist Programme:
The one-year trainee technologist programme is unique in Pakistan. In this, 26 trainees, mostly with BSc and MSc qualifications, are inducted each year. This highly successful programme started with a handful of trainees in 1985. It provides training not only for routine work, but also training to meet and maintain high quality standards required by international health care systems.

Laboratory Specimen Collection Units

For the convenience of referring physicians and their patients, AKUH Laboratory operates Specimen Collection Units in several parts of Karachi and in other cities of Pakistan. Reports of routine tests submitted before 10:00 am (morning) at these units are available on the same day in the evening. The collection units operate Monday through Saturday, from 8:00 am (morning) to 8:00 pm (evening) and Sundays, 8:00 am (morning) to 12:00 pm (afternoon), except the Clifton Collection Unit which remains open from 8:00 am (morning) to 5:00 pm (evening) on Sundays.

A list of diagnostic laboratory tests is available on request. The Department also publishes a regular pathology newsletter that provides an update on new procedures and tests in the clinical laboratories.

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