Lancet

COMPANY PROFILE

2014

Lancet Laboratories

Lancet spearheads new TB offensive

company profile

Lancet spearheads new TB offensive Editorial: Colin Chinery Production: Chris Bolderstone

Africa’s Health Ministers’ meeting in Luanda last month, called for governments to take urgent action to improve the health of their people. With TB a top priority, Johannesburg-based Lancet Laboratories is responding with a ground-breaking screening service.

Nine million global new cases of active TB emerge each year – a disease both preventable and curable – and 30% are in Africa.

And while in South Africa deaths have been declining since 2007, TB remains the country’s number one killer, claiming 54,100 lives in 2011 - one in 10 deaths.

But now a breakthrough by Lancet Laboratories, a leader in vital diagnostic and monitoring pathology services, is set to greatly reduce deaths with the introduction of its ground-breaking screening service.

From the South Africa through Sub-Saharan Africa , the Johannesburg-based enterprise operates in the private healthcare environment. Employing around 1000 medical technologists and 1000 nurses, its specialist pathology services are used throughout the corporate, insurance and mining sectors.

Serving 400,000 patients and processing up to 2.1 million tests each month, Lancet’s extensive range of pathology services range across sophisticated molecular and cytogenetic investigations to advanced chemical analyses; sophisticated frontline support in the fight against HIV, tuberculosis and other key health issues affecting the continent.

“Yes we are excited about our TB testing programme,” says Lancet Marketing Director, Peter de Wet. “When you look at history it could take six to eight weeks to first isolate the organism, grow it, and then do a sensitivity test.

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FIRST IN SOUTH AFRICA “Now, using our new technique, we can give a doctor confirmation of the organism within 48 hours and determine whether it is resistant to Rifampicin.

“What we at Lancet are doing here is endorsed by the World Health Organisation. We were the first in South Africa to start using this technology, followed six to 12 months later – and all credit to them - by one of the State laboratories.”

The disease – then called consumption - was rampant in 18th and 19th century Europe; Keats, Robert Louis Stevenson, Emily Bronte and Frederick Chopin among notable victims.

But this is now an affliction overwhelmingly of the developing world, children in particular suffering as a result of underdeveloped immune systems.

And the consequences are immense. Not only in human terms but also economic. Tuberculosis, said South Africa’s Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe recently, is “not just a health matter, but also an economic, social and development issue, especially for Southern Africa”.

Mineworkers are especially prone to TB. And according to a World Bank study, while it would cost R330m a year to test and treat mineworkers in South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland and Mozambique, it would result in savings of about R13bn a year in increased productivity and a reduced spread of the disease.

“The study shows the returns on investment are very high and it makes good business sense to do so,” said

Lancet Laboratories

Asad Alam, World Bank country director for South Africa, Lesotho, Namibia, Botswana and Swaziland.

Peter de Wet agrees. “The associated economic benefit of implementing our screening programme is huge since it means within two days that potential risk is now removed from society.

“Tuberculosis of course is a transmittable disease and if a person is in the community, travelling on public transport or shopping in malls, there’s the risk that they will infect not only their family members and friends but everyone all around them.

“So the sooner you initiate therapy the sooner you are helping the patient and reducing the risk to society - six weeks exposure as against two days.”

Lancet is a traditional medical partnership, with 90 Pathologists. Each has their area of expertise, leading the service not only to ensure the quality and validity of investigations but also to offer consultative services to physicians, managed healthcare institutions, the occupational health environment and the insurance and industry sectors.

Veterinary pathology service is another offering, a comprehensive range of diagnostic laboratory services, rapid turn-around-times and expert interpretation of results and advice.

Established 60 years ago in the heart of Johannesburg’s central business district, Lancet has expanded throughout South Africa and into Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

SANAS accredited and adhering to international criteria set out according to ISO Standard 15189, Lancet Laboratories is now the optimal partner for anyone seeking pathology and diagnostic services in Africa, committed to providing diagnostic excellence.

CONTINENTAL FOOTPRINT Lancet Laboratories aims to be the dominant force in the emerging new markets in Africa, a strategy driven by being a high quality, low cost provider of a wide range of laboratory tests, and promoting networks between itself, doctors, hospital groups and funders.

And given the vastness of Africa, Lancet is re-enforcing this increasing continental footprint with digital programming allowing faster sharing of information between laboratory and hospitals and health practitioners.

Peter de Wet explains.

“Take the case of a pathologist in Ghana for example. If he has a particular interest in tropical diseases, we could very well refer to him about a patient living in Durban. This telemedicine concept starts to become a reality “This is beneficial for both the client, because of the speedy delivery of results, and for the environment through reduced use of paper and fuel.

“If we look at delivering a result to a doctor via hard copy, it means a courier getting on a scooter or into a car and driving maybe two or three hours. Results on line however can be accessed very rapidly.”

Entry into a new country is always a learning curve, says Mr de Wet. “Each time you may encounter infrastructure

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Lancet Laboratories challenges you hadn’t anticipated. And that learning curve can be very interesting, leading you to transfer your experience from one country into another.

“From our perspective, partisanship with a local laboratory is always preferable. It means there’s an established name, established good will, and an understanding of the local medical culture. We can’t come from South Africa and say in effect ‘this is how your medical culture is going to be.’

“Sometimes there are technical differences - equipment for example. But in general it’s a matter of highly qualified personnel adapting to the Lancet processes. And we have a very large focus on constantly upskilling and not only from a technical perspective. Every person in the Lancet organisation goes through training relevant to their position.”

RAPIDLY EVOLVING Peter de Wet terms himself “a hybrid,” a medical technologist in clinical pathology and haematology who

moved into the pharmaceutical industry on the commercial side, joining Lancet four years ago.

“It’s a great position. Despite our size Lancet is like a family business. There’s camaraderie and also the excitement of furthering our expansion plans, moving into the rest of the continent and the implementation on National Health Insurance when it is implemented in South Africa.

“Pathology is a rapidly evolving sphere; techniques we are using now only dreamt about ten years ago. And then there’s the day to day relationship with our customers. And that’s something I enjoy - out there interacting with people.”

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“The associated economic benefit of implementing our screening programme is huge since it means within two days that potential risk is now removed from society”

making a difference... proud supplier of rapid diagnostic screening tests, IFA, RIA, ELISA, point-of-care and fully automated systems innovative excellence

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www.lancet.co.za +27 31 308 6500

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