Private laboratory services provider PathCare Kenya Limited is devolving to the 47 counties as part of the plan to reach more Kenyans with quality pathology healthcare.
PathCare chief executive Kiran Radia says the diagnostic facility is working to make its services accessible to a greater number of Kenyans and to help curb the rise of medical negligence during diagnosis.
Dr Radia says the expansion drive seeks to create a ‘super laboratory’ that will make diagnostic medicine more affordable and help minimise malpractices through skilful and quality services.
Dr Radia decries the rise of misdiagnosis in Kenya, mainly resulting from specimen mix-ups and failure to comply with laboratory standards.
“It’s very painful to see people who can barely afford medical fees being forced to pay for a second or third round of diagnosis because of laboratory errors. We got to correct the situation,” she says.
“That’s why (PathCare) wants to be present in every county to improve the quality of healthcare. In places where we don’t have a physical presence, samples will be shipped for diagnosis, in return for quality tests.”
PathCare has already established units in Thika, Nakuru, Nyali, Kisumu, Mombasa, Kisauni, Meru, Kisii, and Malindi.
Dr Radia, who is a specialist in anatomic pathology, founded PathCare Kenya in 2002. The firm has since established a presence in East Africa.
“I strongly believe that pathology (diagnosis) offers all the answers to medicine,” she says, emphasising the role of pathology in disease management and treatment.
PathCare, which is run by homegrown scientists, prides itself in being the first pathology practice in Kenya to be internationally accredited and continues to raise the bar in laboratory medicine, an achievement Dr Radia says “is worth emulating.”
Quality, she says, is achieved through adoption of systems accepted worldwide, standard operating procedures in laboratory that reflect the competence of a good lab and is open to independent auditing authorities.
“Providing quality services that consistently satisfy the needs and expectations of our patients is key. Patients should always be put first,” she says.
Source: Business Daily
