Singapore Diagnostics aims to build the medical lab of the future
MANILA, Philippines — It may appear to be just a nagging cough, a running sore or a shooting back pain, but these could be symptoms of an illness that could be deadly if not diagnosed and treated correctly.
If you’re a patient, your doctor will tell you that the most crucial step towards getting cured is to precisely identify the nature of your illness (diagnosis). They say that a correct diagnosis is half the battle won. On the other hand, a false diagnosis could have a catastrophic outcome.
Fortunately, we don’t have to look far for world-class diagnostic testing because we have right here a highly competent team of laboratory experts and health professionals at Singapore Diagnostics (SGD).
Founded in 2013, it is now one of the largest laboratories in the Philippines processing lab tests for over 600 hospitals, clinic labs and health care institutions in the country, serving up to 50,000 patients every month and running up to 2.5 million laboratory examinations a year.
Singapore Diagnostics is the Philippine flagship company of Singapore-based health care group, Pathology Asia, among Asia’s largest health care groups with pathology, genomics (genetic) and digital health operations in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Australia.
The good news is Singapore Diagnostics has been re-accredited by the prestigious College of American Pathologists (CAP), being one of only less than 500 international laboratories that have received this accreditation.
World-class health care services
“We are honored to receive the College of American Pathologists (CAP) accreditation as a testament to the high quality of Singapore Diagnostics’ services and the work of our well-trained clinicians. The recognition will definitely inspire us to continue to offer world-class health care services that Filipinos can afford,” said Singapore Diagnostics president and CEO Ritche Evidente.
Singapore Diagnostics raises the bar in the Philippine health care industry, where there’s a widespread inequity in the quality and accessibility of health care services. Not many Filipinos have access to quality health care services mainly because of their exorbitant costs, compounded by the fact that many health facilities are located only in Metro Manila and a few select cities.
In view of this, Evidente laments that only around 10% of Filipinos can avail themselves of quality health care services and have to settle for substandard treatment, with more not getting treatment at all. The COVID-19 pandemic only aggravated this bleak health scenario that Filipinos across the country are already facing.
The irony, Evidente points out, is that Filipino health care professionals are most sought-after across the globe for their world-class talent and excellent skills.
He adds, “We really can’t blame our health care workers for wanting to seek greener pastures abroad. Instead, we need to continue providing them with excellent training so that we have a steady stream of professionals who can serve both local and international demands.”
Highly skilled medtechs
This is exactly what’s being done at Singapore Diagnostics, which employs over 200 medical technologists all over its various laboratories.
“We need to help them in their professional training so that when they leave, they can make our country proud with their skills,” shared Evidente.
SGD equips Filipino medical technologists with world-class skills before they work overseas, should they choose to do so. Thus, SGD also provides Filipino patients with well-trained professionals while securing the Pinoys’ fine reputation on the global health care map.
The fact is, this highly skilled roster of Pinoy medtechs has helped SGD retain its reaccreditation from the College of American Pathologists. In its nine years in the business, SGD has served as a training ground for Filipino medtechs and clinicians who now work in leading hospitals and health institutions around the world. It envisions becoming the foundation for medtechs in the Philippines, providing a healthy work culture for its 450 employees nationwide.
SGD exercises the highest quality control in its lab work, benchmarking all test results not just against local quality standards but also against those of the best hospitals in the world.
Thus, when your lab tests are done at SGD, you’re assured of the highest standards of quality, competence and safety. This is critical, says Evidente, because lab results are the basis for many medical decisions.
“Quality and affordable lab tests are very important because they help monitor changes in patients’ health and doctors can work with them on any prevention, diagnosis and treatment needed,” he said.
Affordable lab tests
Singapore Diagnostics offers various lab tests at affordable rates for Filipinos.
SGD raises the level of health care in the country by establishing more facilities and forging partnerships with other institutions nationwide. It collaborates with partner hospitals and laboratories to help provide Filipinos in the provinces with easier access to special or genetic tests to detect diseases.
Offering a host of services, SGD also serves as a referral or backup for other laboratories and hospitals or provides full lab outsourcing, including improving personal skills.
“SGD is here to help other local laboratories, not to compete with them,” shared Evidente.
“We want to support the Filipino community and work together to elevate the country’s health care industry locally and internationally,” he added.
SGD currently has six laboratory hubs nationwide (Makati, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Dagupan, Angeles City). Also offering home service, SGD hopes to build more facilities (for a total of 50 laboratories) in the coming months.
This year, SGD is expected to build a new world-class facility in the metro, a state-of-the-art laboratory that will employ more Filipino medtechs and serve more patients.
In addition to the Metro Manila core facility, SGD is looking at building more laboratories in every major city in the country to provide Filipinos with world-class yet affordable health care services, with each lab outfitted with multi-stage screening to keep patients and employees safe.
With SGD, we’re assured of a healthy diagnosis for our health care industry. The fact is, the medical lab of the future is here!
For more information and updates, follow SGD on Facebook and Instagram @singaporediagnostics. For inquiries, call 8-SGDLABS (632-87435227) or 09175664137.
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