Market leader for 28 years mulling further expansion

Asiri Group of Hospitals recently celebrated 30 years of operations of its medical laboratories and is pursuing avenues to further expand and enhance operational excellence of its laboratories and maintain its market leadership in the country.

The laboratories, which commenced with the opening of the first unit at Asiri Hospital on Kirula Road, Colombo 5, now encompass units at 12 locations in the country including Jaffna, Anuradhapura, Batticaloa, Matara and Kandy and collectively handle in excess of 12,500 tests a day on average.

Asiri Laboratories are equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment which are the best in the country. Due to superior technological and staff capabilities, laboratories of the Asiri Group of hospitals are the only medical labs in the country capable of handling up to 300 to 400 specialized tests.

A number of leading external private medical institutions in the country also make use of the advanced facilities of the laboratories of the Asiri Group.

The laboratories account for numerous industry firsts in the country including the first fully-computerized medical lab and boast of an impressive and ever-growing portfolio of accreditation and certification pertaining to different spheres from numerous prestigious international and local institutions.

Key accreditations and certifications obtained by the laboratories of the Asiri Group of Hospitals include accreditation for ISO 15189:2007 – a global certification specific to medical laboratories. The laboratories have also obtained ISO 9001:2008 quality management systems certification and ISO 14001:2004 environmental management systems certification, among numerous others.

The recent innovations introduced by the market leader in medical laboratory services include the introduction of allergy tests and the urea breath test – which can assist in the diagnosis of H. Pylori bacteria (which is a common cause for gastritis). Demonstrating their international stature, the laboratories of the Asiri Group of Hospitals have also often taken part in numerous international clinical trials.

“Trust is the currency of the medical industry and Asiri Laboratories retaining the trust of the patients for three decades is a strong endorsement of the Asiri Group’s constant emphasis on quality,” Asiri Hospital Holdings PLC Director – Laboratory Services, Neil Priyath John (himself a member of the American Association for Clinical Chemistry) said. Commenting on the formula behind the success of the laboratory services he said, “Constant technological innovation and the skills of our staff were the main drivers behind our success. We applaud the invaluable contribution of our staff over the years while celebrating this milestone.”

Expressing optimism regarding the future of the laboratory services of the Asiri Group of Hospitals, he revealed that the management is considering setting up more laboratories in other areas of the country such as Trincomalee, Vavuniya and Nuwara Eliya.

The Asiri Group of Hospitals owned by the Softlogic Group comprises Asiri Surgical Hospital PLC, Asiri Hospital Holdings PLC, The Central Hospital Ltd and Asiri Hospital Matara (Pvt) Ltd. The Group, which won the Gold Award for Healthcare and Related Services at the National Business Excellence Awards (2012), is dedicated to offering technologically-driven and cutting-edge healthcare services.