<p>The Aga Khan University Hospitals Clinical Laboratory has received the <strong>gold standard College of American Pathologists (CAP)</strong> accreditation for the third time and remains the only clinical laboratory in Pakistan to receive this prestigious accreditation. This accreditation is a certification that <strong>AKUH Clinical Laboratories follow over 3,500 standards </strong>to provide our patients timely and accurate results every time.
</p><p>A team of seven inspectors – practicing professionals qualified through CAP training programme –  visited the Aga Khan University Hospital and its Outreach Health Network on a two-day visit from 10 March to 11 March 2022, to audit AKUH laboratory&#39;s quality records, staff qualifications, validation of tests, equipment, facilities, safety programmes and overall management against 3,500+ indicators.
</p><p><strong>Shagufta Hassan, CEO AKU Outreach Health Network, Pakistan</strong> said that the Clinical Laboratories of AKU are a national asset and have grown from one laboratory on its Stadium Road campus in Karachi to over 294 phlebotomy centres and 13 stat-laboratories across 126 cities in Pakistan. “AKU is recognised as a leader in its academic programmes and clinical services.&quot; She continued, “We strive to achieve the highest standards of quality that not only meet but exceed the expectations of their families.&quot;</p><p><strong>At the debriefing after the audit, the CAP inspectors expressed their satisfaction and commended the efforts of the teams who were involved in maintaining highest quality standards everyday.</strong>
</p><p><strong>“There are no showstoppers in this place. You&#39;re a busy place and you&#39;re a very complex place; it&#39;s probably one of the most complex labs in the world. You have a big checklist with a lot of items and it takes a strong team, with a lot of deep understanding of the different disciplines [to do this work]. You should be very proud of that,&quot; said Dr Aaron Han, Chief Auditor CAP.</strong> </p><p><strong>Mr. Suleiman Shahabuddin, President, The Aga Khan University,</strong> expressed his gratitude to the team for achieving this milestone for the third time and said, “We have excellent people, who are passionate to deliver highest quality healthcare and have a drive to constantly improve our operations so that our patients and their loved ones are satisfied that they are in good hands.&quot;
</p><p>“We are committed to the delivery of accurate and timely results for our patients by providing highest levels of quality standards and transparency,&quot; said Dr Farooq Ghani, Director CAP accreditation.</p><p>The Aga Khan University Hospitals and the AKU Outreach Health Network, Pakistan has a robust Patient Welfare and Zakat programmes. <strong>In 2021 alone, 950,000 patients </strong>received Zakat support work <strong>PKR 3.7 billion.</strong>
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