Content Provider: Prof. A. K Mukhopadhyay
Introduction
Unlike most of the new disciplines in Medical Science which branch out from a parent department, the Department of Laboratory Medicine was created by bringing together three independent hospital service laboratories of AIIMS namely Clinical Pathology, Clinical Hematology and Clinical Biochemistry, to which Clinical Microbiology was added and a full-fledged Academic Department was started in 1988 (For Evolutionary history: Photo link). With extensive automation, the instrumentation becomes its basic and with intensive clinical involvement the medical audit becomes its apex.
At present, 136 personnel, which includes five Faculty members, two Biochemists (Scientist), twelve residents, five office staff, sixty nine technical persons, forty three attendants man this department.
Service:
In the service area, the department caters to AIIMS hospitals and some of its Centers, attending to 500-700 patients from OPDs and Wards to perform about 10-12,000 investigations per day amounting to about 40 lacs (four millions) investigations in a year. The investigations range from routine, biochemistry or hemogram to those requiring molecular techniques (PCR etc.). It is involved in Test selection (Pre-test counseling), Test performance and Test interpretation (Post-test counseling) in the area of clinical chemistry, clinical pathology, clinical hematology, and clinical microbiology having respective faculty member in charge of their specialized area.
The department is linked with various National and International Quality Assurance Programs. Internally, the precision of the investigations has been achieved by extensive automation. The accuracy is retained by regular calibration of the instrument with appropriate standards.
Education:
The department has a three-year residency Program leading to MD degree. It also runs Ph.D. program. In addition, it provides training to the doctors as well as technical staff from various Universities, National and abroad. The Department also conducts International and National Workshop, CME, Seminar and Conference.
Looking at the rapid strides and expansion in Laboratory Disciplines in Medical Sciences it may not be far in Future, when MD in Laboratory Medicine would constitute basic postgraduate degree in Laboratory Science. The specialties like Histopathology, Cytology, Biochemistry, Hematology, Microbiology and Transfusion Medicine etc. would transform into super specialty offering DM degree in their respective fields.
Research:
The Faculty of the Department attracts funds from various funding agencies and
runs projects in their chosen field. The details of Research activities are
available in section of respective faculty. Myaesthenia Gravis, Acetylcholine
receptors, Cardiac risk factors, Typhoid vaccine, Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS,
Toxoplasmosis, Leishmaniasis Coagulation disorders, Hepatitis, Lipoproteins,
Antioxidants and Theoretical research on Consciousness and its relevance to
Medicine are some of the important areas of Research.