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Rawalpindi-The College of American Pathologists (CAP), an internationally recognised standard for clinical laboratories, has accredited the Aga Khan University Hospital’s Clinical Laboratories in Rawalpindi.

This makes Aga Khan University Hospital’s Clinical Laboratories as the first clinical laboratory to receive this gold standard accreditation, a spokesman informed The Nation on Wednesday. He said a team of four CAP inspectors – practicing professionals qualified through a CAP training programme – visited Pakistan last year to audit the laboratory’s quality records, staff qualifications, validation of tests, equipment, facilities, safety programmes and overall management. After a rigorous audit on all the 3000 standards, Aga Khan University Hospital’s Clinical Laboratories were accredited by CAP.

CAP President Richard C. Friedberg in his message to the Hospital community said: “I would like to congratulate Aga Khan University Hospital for being the first CAP accredited laboratory in Pakistan. We know that the journey has been a 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”.

“From its founding, the Aga Khan University and its hospitals have aimed to achieve international standards in our teaching, research, and care for patients,” said Firoz Rasul, President Aga Khan University. “Validation of our practices through international accreditation gives patients the assurance that standards match the best in the world.”

The University Hospital’s CEO Hans Kedzierski stressed that clinical laboratory testing is an essential part of a quality healthcare service. “Since most of the decisions regarding a patient’s diagnosis and treatment are usually based on laboratory test results, for patients, this means timely and more accurate diagnosis. Striving to meet patient satisfaction drives the hospital to constantly review itself for improvements every day,” he added.

AKUH is also the only teaching hospital in Pakistan that is accredited by the Joint Commission International, a gold standard in healthcare delivery.

“The CAP accreditation is an attestation that Aga Khan University Hospital’s Clinical Laboratories have achieved the gold standard in laboratory medicine,” said Shagufta Hassan, Chief Operating Officer, Clinical Laboratories and Outreach Services. “AKUH Clinical Laboratories always apply the highest standards of quality and this certification is a manifestation of the same.”

AKUH Clinical Laboratories is the largest laboratory network in Pakistan. Besides the main Clinical Laboratory in Karachi, there are 290 regional laboratories, medical centres and specimen collection units in over 120 cities across Pakistan. With a highly trained team of over 50 faculty and 250 technologists, supported by state-of-the-art automated equipment, the laboratories offer over 700 types of testing and perform over 12 million tests annually. For the convenience of patients, the laboratories also offer online reports, SMS alerts and detailed multi-column reports.

“We are committed to the delivery of accurate results for our patients by providing highest levels of quality, service standards and transparency,” said Dr Farooq Ghani, Service Line Chief, Clinical Laboratories.

The US federal government recognizes the CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program, begun in the early 1960s, as being equal-to or more-stringent-than the US government’s own inspection programme.

As the leading organisation with more than 18,000 board-certified pathologists, CAP serves patients, pathologists, and the public by fostering and advocating excellence in the practice of pathology and laboratory medicine worldwide. The CAP’s Laboratory Improvement Programs, initiated 65 years ago, currently has presence in more than 100 countries, accrediting nearly 8,000 laboratories and providing proficiency testing to 20,000 laboratories worldwide.

The hospital is part of an emerging healthcare system reaches out into Pakistan through its Outreach Services and is offering healthcare and diagnostics through Integrated Medical Services, Phlebotomy Stations and Pharmacies. These services are expanding to bring high quality health services into the local communities throughout the country.