Hospitals Introduce Faster Lab Testing Technology

Hospitals in Kenya are rolling out advanced diagnostic platforms to significantly cut the time it takes to get lab results. At Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, the newly installed Vitek MS Prime from bioMérieux now identifies disease-causing organisms in as little as 30 minutes, down from the previous 8–18 hour wait.
The Vitek MS Prime uses MALDI‑TOF technology to analyze protein profiles and rapidly detect a broad range of pathogens—including bacteria, fungi, and yeast—that are often challenging to identify with conventional methods. Aga Khan’s Pathology Department Chair, Dr. Shaheen Sayed, noted that this speed could dramatically improve treatment times, especially for infections where early, targeted therapy is critical.
In another move to modernize diagnostics, Aga Khan Hospital has also implemented a Total Lab Automation (TLA) system from Roche Diagnostics. This fully automated workflow integrates every stage of lab processing—from sample loading to analysis and archiving—meaning faster turnaround times, less human error, and more reliable results, 24/7.
Meanwhile, Nakuru County Referral and Teaching Hospital has introduced the Atellica Solution system in its lab, which reduces test turnaround time to about one hour.The system is capable of handling over 700,000 tests a year across a variety of assays—such as thyroid, cardiac, liver, and kidney function—thanks to integrated immunoassay and clinical chemistry analysis powered by automation and artificial intelligence.