Generally used to detect the cause of disease and treatment for a specific injury or illness. Pathology labs are most widely used in hospitals and clinics; they require body fluid such as blood, urine or some body tissues to detect the disease. Pathology labs are of different types ranging from clinical to forensic and surgical pathologies.
These labs (cytopathology) can be used in detecting cancer and its stage because of the physiological and morphological changes in the cells.
They are of great use, effective and efficient in many ways. But when establishing a pathology lab, one can hold back because of the financial input. Though other than that, some qualifications required for a pathology lab are:
1. Academic:
You will need a Bsc degree in laboratory techniques or a diploma to establish a pathology.
Due to the few amendments, MBBS holders can also open a pathology.
MSc in pathology can also help in opening a pathology.
All these degrees need to be approved or recognised by MCI
Pathology labs require a licence to run the lab commissioned by the Medical Council of India [MCI].
Now, this belongs to academic requirements, but there are other qualifications and conditions as well.
2. Registration and certificates :
Certificate, registration, and NOC from different departments are also required.
Registration for the establishment of pathology under the clinical establishment act.
Certificate from the NABL is required for acceptance of the test done in the laboratory.
NOC from the fire and municipal departments is also required for safety and waste disposal.
3. Reagents and software -
It might seem necessary because the standard requirements of the reagents might create a difference in the finance; because of this, we require reagents to be more effective at less price.
Software is essential to print the reports and, most importantly, save the everyday data that the laboratory collects by testing.
4. Finance :
This factor might be more critical because of the input a pathology requires for instruments, infrastructure, staff and management.
Because of the efficiency a pathology provides, it requires instruments with high investment, creating a massive demand for finance to even begin with.
These instruments can be of different types and used for only a specific disease, making it a limiting factor.
Infrastructure plays a crucial role in the establishment because of the attraction and simplicity it will create.
Staff might be a difficult task to begin with because pathology requires people to operate if it's on a larger scale than small pathologies. Microbiologists, doctors, nurses, and biochemists are needed as staff.
Other than this, for management, a pathology requires an attendant, manager and several other people for smooth functioning.
5. Location and advertisement -
The pathology needs to be more readily available and in the correct place.
Therefore we need advertisements for such things to make people aware of your services and where you can find them.
The area must be near a hospital or clinic, creating a more profit-making business.
A person might be willing to invest in a pathology lab and would ask for a degree to be provided or vice versa to be in a partnership. It will create a division for the finance and skills requirements, creating a better opportunity.
Deciding on what type or a specific pathology one needs to open based on location, finance, and staff availability is essential. It will help create a space for the target market in which one needs to invest. Proper advertisement will be helpful, but it requires some extra features of the laboratory, which can be - fast and rapid test and results, accuracy, academic certificates of an individual, or a primary home test for the older people.
It will bring proper attention to the laboratory. The laboratory can also facilitate the 24/7 helpline and doctor recommendations.
These factors will surely help anyone and whoever wishes to start a pathology business, but in-depth knowledge is first required in this field because of the accuracy it needs to provide every day. This healthcare field requires a higher success rate because it can directly affect an individual's life.
