● Roche Diagnostics and the Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi have signed a contract aimed at enhancing healthcare access in Kenya and East Africa by installing a fully automated diagnostics instrument at the Hospital.
● The installation will significantly speed up disease testing capacity and the output of results to patients.
● The Roche platforms can provide over 800 test results for multiple diseases within one hour, ensuring better access to high-quality diagnostics for patients across the region.
Roche Diagnostics and Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi have signed a contract to automate critical diagnostics at the hospital’s laboratory. The contract is for the installation of the state-of-the-art cobas® pro integrated solutions diagnostic instrument which can test for multiple communicable and non-communicable diseases simultaneously, speeding up the delivery of test results to patients.
The fully automated system reduces turnaround times and minimises human error, resulting in more accurate and timely patient diagnoses. The system can simultaneously provide over 800 test results for multiple disease areas on various types of samples within an hour at a time.
CEO of the Aga Khan University Hospital, Rashid Khalani, says, “Timely and accurate diagnosis enables appropriate and targeted treatments, ensuring good outcomes for our patients.
This automation process will expand our capacity, reduce the need for sending of testing outside the country by local healthcare players and attract inbound medical tourism which enhances Kenya’s profile as a healthcare hub in the East African region.”
In Kenya, non-communicable are responsible for more than 50% of in-patient hospital admissions and 39% of all deaths annually, with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) accounting for most of these deaths in the country.1,2
Taofik Oloruko-Oba, Head of East Africa and Anglophone West Africa at Roche Diagnostics, emphasises the importance of this contract: “Quality, accurate diagnostic testing is the first and most critical step in establishing a more efficient healthcare system. The Aga Khan University Hospital Nairobi can now serve as a central hub for testing, empowering patients with increased access to diagnostic testing solutions where they are most needed. It will also provide healthcare practitioners with faster, more accurate results for timely treatment interventions.”
In the interest of sustainable capacity building, Roche will also provide training to clinicians and healthcare professionals, ensuring they can maximise the benefits of the advanced diagnostics system. The system is also designed to maintain a low environmental footprint, minimising water usage and waste while utilising eco-friendly reagent packaging, contributing to a greener healthcare ecosystem.
Oloruko-Oba concludes, “There has not been enough focus on prevention and early diagnostics to date, and many African patients are either undiagnosed or diagnosed at late stages of disease when it is possibly too late or quite expensive to treat.
“We will continue to explore innovative new business models like our agreement with the Aga Khan Hospitals to drive advancements in African healthcare systems. We thank Aga Khan Hospitals for providing this vital opportunity to reach more patients, delivering quality results faster and for the good of more patients.”