Healthcare is driven more by technologies than ever before. There is automation in almost all spheres of laboratory activities whereby the chances of human errors are minimized significantly. Technology has also revolutionized the way humans look at imaging in diagnostics. People have realized that accuracy and promptness of test results are more crucial in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases.
Based in a small state of the Northeast India – Manipur, BABINA Diagnostics has come a long way as a medical diagnostics laboratory since it was established in Imphal way back in the year 1983. It was the first diagnostic laboratory in Manipur to be run by a Pathologist. The diagnostic center was initially started as a small clinical laboratory to provide basic investigations. Now, it has evolved into a multifarious diagnostic clinic with facilities for a wide range of routine as well as sophisticated tests, along with the radiological investigations.
The Creator of BABINA Diagnostics
Dr. Th. Dhabali Singh is the Founder and Managing Director of BABINA Diagnostics. He had a bright academic career and completed MBBS from Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal. He completed his post-graduation (MD) in Pathology from PGIMER, Chandigarh. After serving at PGIMER as Senior Resident, he joined RIMS, Imphal as a teaching faculty member. Having served for many academically fulfilling years in RIMS, he voluntarily retired from the service as Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology in 1994. Since then, he has been working fulltime as the Managing Director of BABINA Diagnostics, Imphal. Under his watchful guidance and visionary ideas, the firm grew into one of the biggest and best-equipped medical diagnostic laboratories in Eastern India.
Dr. Th. Dhabali Singh is a recipient of many renowned awards such as: The Northeast Excellence Award, Indian Leadership Award for Health Excellence, International Healthcare Excellence Award, Indian Achievers Award for Healthcare Excellence, and Mother Teresa Excellence Award.
NABL Accreditation
BABINA Diagnostics is the first laboratory in the Northeast to be accredited by National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), having achieved this distinction in 2007. Today, this center is known for its unwavering commitment to providing prompt, extensive, accurate and reliable diagnostic services. In terms of the range of equipment and facilities available, the diagnostic center is one of the largest of its kind in the entire country.
Crucial Milestones Achieved by BABINA
BABINA Diagnostics was among the first clinical laboratories in the country to use computerized reporting system. Apart from the pathological tests, a wide range of tests and investigations that include Histopathology/Cytopathology, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Cytogenetics and Radiological investigations (X-ray, Ultrasound, MRI, CT scan, DEXA, Mammography, Fibroscan) are available at the center. It is the first laboratory in the country to install “StreamLab Laboratory Automation System” (SIEMENS).
BABINA Diagnostics has the widest network of collection centers in the Northeast with more than 100 collection centers in Manipur. The center also has joint venture units in Shillong and Kohima. The collection centers and joint venture units facilitate the availability of advanced healthcare services to people in the interior and rural areas.
Qualitative Changes in Healthcare
Medical diagnostics is constantly-shifting its landscape with new technologies and diagnostic trends getting continuously updated. What has set BABINA apart from the rest is the way it has innovated and reinvented itself to the changing times and the ever-evolving science of medical technology.
Extra-Curricular Activities and Personal Life at BABINA
The centre is at the forefront in Manipur’s collective fight against viral Hepatitis, in particular Hep C. It has been partnering with some NGOs and the local clubs to conduct mass screenings for HCV. All these activities are done at free of cost and is targeted at both the general population as well as the high-risk groups. The HCV-positive patients are then selected for further treatment and testing as per the existing protocols, the responsibility of which is taken up by the partner NGO. The center is also engaged in numerous CSR activities that are in line with its commitment to render the best diagnostic services to the poor and needy people in the region.
“We have been striving towards minimizing human errors in the workplace. Backed by a robust Laboratory Information Systems (LIS) and innovative use of IT services, there is automation in most spheres of activities in our laboratory” assert Dr. Dhabali. Employee development programs are held regularly that include various activities, hosting talks by professional motivational speakers, and training. Regular meditation and yoga classes are also held.
Marching towards its Horizon with Technology and Innovation
“We have made significant investment in our molecular diagnostics laboratory in the past few years and the trend is expected to remain unchanged for at least some more years. If we are to identify one focus area in molecular diagnostics which will be on the top of our agenda, it will be the cancer diagnostics” says Dr. Dhabali. With the geographical proximity to the neighboring country, Myanmar and other Southeast Asian countries, the center is closely watching the diplomatic developments between India and Myanmar. BABINA Diagnostics is taking a special interest in the visa-on-arrival and relaxation on entry restrictions that are expected to happen in the near future for Myanmarese nationals. There’s a huge potential for medical tourism.
