<p>The Aga Khan University’s Outreach Health Network, Roche Diagnostics, and Sysmex have signed an agreement to install a new Fully Automated Laboratory system in the Main Lab and 14 outreach centers of the Aga Khan University Hospital across Pakistan.</p><div>Connected with Roche’s cobas IT infinity solutions, these latest, state-of-the-art high throughput automated systems are designed to give laboratories full and transparent control over their operational processes, at single and multi-site operations.
</div><div>
</div><div>Through this strategic collaboration between the Aga Khan University Hospital, Roche Diagnostics, and Sysmex, AKUH will be able to cater to the needs and enhance the capacity of its labs, not just in the main cities, but also in the remote areas of the country.
</div><div>
</div><div>This agreement builds on the Aga Khan University Hospital’s historic collaboration with Roche Diagnostics Pakistan It also marks a significant milestone in evolving laboratory diagnostic workflows by increasing automation and minimizing operation intervention in clinical laboratories to reduce errors, improve efficiency and enable faster test results to the patients.
</div><div>
</div><div>Speaking at the ceremony, Dr. Sulaiman Shahabuddin, President AKU, congratulated and lauded the efforts of all the teams involved in achieving this milestone agreement. “All of us are playing an integral part in shaping the national health system,” said Dr Shahabuddin, adding that cross-collaboration between different stakeholders is key in scaling up and reshaping lives through the provision of quality healthcare.
</div><div>
</div><div>Welcoming this new partnership with Roche and Sysmex, Shagufta Hassan, CFO and VP of Finance, AKU, expressed her gratitude and thanked all the stakeholders involved for all their hard work. Highlighting the high-quality standards of the University Hospital and its Outreach Health Network, she said, “AKU is Pakistan’s first academic medical centre to receive the prestigious Joint Commission International (JCI) and College of American Pathologists CAP accreditation. I am thankful to our teams working on the front lines, and providing access to quality healthcare to millions across Pakistan.”
</div><div>
</div><div>Recognizing the immense contribution of AKUH towards setting high-quality standards of healthcare excellence, Abdul Qayyum, Country Manager, Roche Diagnostics Pakistan said, “Expanding access to health services is an important step towards reducing health disparities. I must commend AKUH for its unwavering commitment to improving healthcare delivery where it truly matters most. I am proud of our long association with AKUH and look forward to jointly expanding testing capabilities beyond the main cities to reach more patients across Pakistan. Together, we are truly embodying our shared vision of shaping healthcare and improving patient lives.”
</div><div>
</div><div>"Healthcare excellence works with partners to spread innovations and build capacity so that everyone has safe and high-quality health care. Together we are spreading innovations that equitably deliver care where people live and when they need it,” shared Mr. Rizwan Feroz, Director, S. Ejazuddin & Co., official distributors of Sysmex in Pakistan.</div><div>
</div><div>This momentous partnership will go a long way in strengthening diagnostic capacity, increasing patient access to high-quality laboratory tests, and supporting faster, more cost-effective treatment outcomes to improve patient care across Pakistan.
</div><div>
</div><div>The Aga Khan University Hospitals and the AKU Outreach Health Network, Pakistan have robust Patient Welfare and Zakat programmes. In 2021 alone, 950,000 patients received Zakat support worth PKR 3.7 billion.
</div><div>
</div>
