SHILLONG, Jan 21: Health Minister James PK Sangma on Friday inaugurated a state-of-the-art diagnostic center at the Pasteur Institute, Lawmali Pyllun.
In June 2019, the state government had signed a memorandum of understanding with Suraksha & Salvia Global LLP to set up the center in public-private partnership (PPP) mode.
Dedicating the project to the people of the state as part of the state’s Golden Jubilee celebrations, Sangma said diagnosis is an essential step in modern medical science before treatment.
“People from the state will no longer be required to travel to Guwahati for a simple test. Today we can do all the necessary tests in one place with the commissioning of this diagnostic center,” he said.
This is a very important step in terms of guiding the health care system in the state, he said.
Emphasizing that diagnosis is all about precision, Sangma said it was the way forward to integrate technology with modern medical science to achieve better and faster diagnostic results. He said it’s one of the best labs in the Northeast.
It complies with the accreditation standards of the College of American Pathologists which is the world reference for excellence. The center also complies with relevant ISO standards, he said.
“The pathology service is being put into service. It will become the largest and most advanced diagnostic center in the entire North East once radiology and other units are up and running,” the Minister of Health said.
According to him, routine tests will be carried out to the maximum of their capacity. The presence of high-end, esoteric diagnostics will now be possible at the center, which includes highly targeted diagnostics for oncology, neurology, gastroenterology and other serious infections,” Sangma said.
When it comes to cancer, the stage and source of the disease can be precisely identified, leading to prompt medical action, he said.
Sangma also said that some medical techniques to be applied will include molecular pathology, histopathology and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to give more advanced results.
Christopher Rani of Salvia Designated Partners said that Suraksha Diagnostic has succeeded in creating this quality high-tech facility for the benefit of the citizens of the state.
“This project is in PPP mode and probably the first of its kind in the Northeast. The center will provide exclusive healthcare in a futuristic way,” Rani said.
According to him, the project would not have been possible without the support of the state government.
“The center has the most sophisticated and advanced equipment to carry out the tests for viral infections, maternal health, molecular screening, neonatal screening and also the tests related to transplants which can facilitate a state-of-the-art setup. The center’s equipment was imported from Sweden and Japan,” Rani said.
The total cost of the project is around Rs 100 crore and it includes land and infrastructure provided by the state government.
Principal Secretary Sampath Kumar, Commissioner and Secretary M Nampui, DHS (MI) Dr Aman War were among those present.