Pathology institute eyes quality medical laboratory services
The Namibia Institute of Pathology (NIP) officially opened its new head office in its pursuit of providing quality medical laboratory services.
The head office which will also serve as a sound foundation for its countrywide network of 40 laboratories was officially opened by the President Hage Geingob last week.
Geingob said that the broad field of pathology has developed on a period of over 200 years as a medical speciality, and as clinical testing evolved, clinical pathology or laboratory medicine came to be included in this medical practice.
Geingob also encouraged the NIP to exhaust all options and ensure that employment opportunities in crucial fields are offered to Namibia’s aspiring medical scientists, pathologists and technologists.
“Where possible, you should also provide scholarships to students who wish to pursue studies in pathology,” the President added.
Geingob stressed that the NIP has an integral role to play in advancing cutting edge medical research and treatment in Namibia.
“It is clear that an institution such as NIP holds strategic importance within our healthcare sector, especially for our State patients and the most vulnerable members of our communities,” he noted.
One of the most recent areas of focus at NIP is the establishment of the molecular diagnostics unit, which operates a comprehensive diagnostic service based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. The unit currently performs specialized tests such as HIV viral load, diagnosis of HIV in infants (HIV DNA PCR), chlamydia, gonorrhea, and swine flu.
