Civil Hospital to have integrated lab

The Health Department has given the green signal to the construction of a new integrated lab at Jallianwala Memorial Civil Hospital here. The lab would be set up on the upper floor of the emergency ward and would merge the existing IDSP, malaria, and general labs. The move aims to provide all medical tests under one roof, making it convenient for patients.

The hospital currently caters to over 1,500 OPD patients daily and has 200 beds for in its in-patients department. With the new integrated lab, all tests would be conducted in one place, reducing the need for patients to visit different labs. The lab would offer a range of tests, including blood sugar, creatinine, lipid profile, HIV test, cancer screening, and more.

The hospital already provides free tests and medicines to patients. With the new lab, patients would have access to a wider range of tests and treatments without having to incur additional expenses. The hospital also has a diagnostic lab, running on the PPP mode, which offers MRI, CT scans and other expensive tests at subsidized rates.

The construction work is expected to be completed this year and new testing equipment would be installed once the lab is operational, said officials.