The Aga Khan University Hospital’s Clinical Laboratory, re-accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP) for the Third Time.

The Aga Khan University Hospital’s Clinical Laboratory has received the Gold Standard, College of American Pathologists (CAP) Accreditation for the third time and remains the only clinical laboratory in Pakistan to receive this prestigious accreditation. This accreditation is a certification that AKUH’s Clinical Laboratories follow over 3,500 standards to provide our patients timely and accurate results every time.

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^th March 2022 to 11^th March 2022, to audit AKUH laboratory’s quality-records, staff-qualifications, validation of tests, equipment, facilities, safety-programmes and overall management against 3500+ indicators.

Shagufta Hassan, CEO of AKU’s Outreach Health Network, Pakistan 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 centers and 13 stat-laboratories across 126 cities in Pakistan. She said; “AKU is recognized as a leader in its academic programmes and clinical services.” She continued, “We strive to achieve the highest standards of quality that not only meet but exceed the expectations of their families”.

Ms. Shagufta Hassan, CEO of AKU’s Outreach Health Network for Pakistan expressing at the event.

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 every day.

Dr. Aaron Han, Chief Auditor from College of American Pathologists (CAP) said; “there are no show-stoppers in this place. You’re a busy place and you’re a very complex place; it’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. You should be very proud of that”.

Dr. Aaron Han, Chief Auditor from College of American Pathologists (CAP) sharing his views.

Mr. Suleiman Shahab-ud-din, President, The Aga Khan University, 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”.

Mr. Suleiman Shahab-ud-din, President, The Aga Khan University expressing his views.

Dr. Farooq Ghani, Director CAP accreditation shared his views by saying; “we are committed to the delivery of accurate and timely results for our patients by providing highest levels of quality standards and transparency.”

The Aga Khan University Hospitals and the AKU Outreach Health Network, Pakistan has a robust Patient Welfare and Zakat programmes. In 2021 alone, 950,000 patients received Zakat support work PKR 3.7 billion.

Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) launches ‘Early Childhood Parenting Clinic’ for building a stronger family.

Recognizing the importance of supporting parents in their early parenting journey, the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) launched its ‘Early Childhood Parenting Clinic’ on Friday, 06^th November 2020 at its Stadium Road campus. As one of the few initiatives in Pakistan to offer this educational care giving from a hospital setting, this clinic will focus on making parents resourceful to make their child’s early development well-rounded and strong.

According to research, the first 1,000 days of life, starting from the day of inception inside the mother’s womb, make up the most crucial period of human development. Parents often question and worry if they are doing all that they can to support their child’s development.  While there may not be a one-size-fits-all strategy, there are evidence-based tools that parents may be equipped with, as they set on their journey At this clinic, as a parent, you will become more aware of your  child’s developmental needs and with be provided support to deal with your concerns, including but not limited to: what to do for in-utero development, first-time parent counseling, early challenges of parenting, , newborn’s learning and development, making your home new-born friendly, preparing kids for playgroup and school, and balancing the needs of your child as working parents.

Adhering to strict SOPs, the attendees of the inauguration ceremony included the leadership of Aga Khan University (AKU) and Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH): Shagufta Hassan Interim CEO AKUH, Dr. Adil Haider Dean AKU Medical College, Dr. Asim Belgaumi Chief Medical Officer, Salma Jaffer, Chief Nursing Officer, Shamsah Virani Director Marketing & Communications, Dr. Salman Kirmani Chair Division of Women & Child Health, Dr. Lumaan Sheikh Service Line Chief for Women’s Health Care, Dr. Ali Faisal Saleem Service Line Chief for Children’s Hospital and Dr. Shelina Bhamani Lead Consultant Early Childhood Parenting Clinic among others.

“This is a very critical goal and on the radar of AKDN. As a mother of two, I believe that this service is so valuable and helpful for all parents”, commented Interim CEO Shagufta Hassan while stressing upon the need of supporting parents in their journey.

“I have worked for years with mothers of newborns and young children in various community settings. I hear them question very often, ‘am I a good parent?’ I always tell them that ‘good parenting’ is hard to define. However, it can be learnt and adapted to,” said Dr. Bhamani on parents’ confusion about their parenthood.

The Early Childhood Parenting Clinic will provide a wide range of integrative programmes, including group-based consultations and one-to-one referrals for innovative parenting solutions.