Unfortunately, for the Microbiology unit at the NCI, the method of preservation was to freeze the samples in a -20C Freezer, which only preserved serum for a few months at the most. With the donation of the -86C Freezer, the laboratory is able to freeze blood samples at -72C, for a minimum of 10 years. The freezer also stores anti-bodies and controls culture media.
The NCI, together with 6 other hospitals in the country is also conducting the National Antimicrobial Resistant Survey Project (NARSP), where research is carried out on microbodies, which can be frozen in the -86C Freezer.
The Elisa Microplate Reader and Washer amounting to Rs. 1.1 million (USD 10,000) that was also donated to the laboratory has been a welcome change, the only other Reader and Washer in the hospital being located in the Biochemistry Laboratory. The Hepatitis C disease amongst some patients needs to be discovered and plates accurately read in order to conduct preliminary testing on patients with various drug doses, and the Elisa Reader produces accurate readings so that the medical laboratory is capable of handling more readings on a daily basis. So far, around 30 readings are carried out per week.
The Elisa washer on the other hand cleans all microplates that are used for testing. These microplates are required to be 100% hygienic since the tests carried on them may produce different results if the microorganisms are even slightly affected by bacteria.
“We are extremely pleased on how the hospital has developed in less than one year, taking great strides towards more advanced technologies thanks to the donations from MAS. For our patients, it means that they get the best care and the finest facilities that we can provide. It is indeed a wonderful feeling to be able to provide them with that much more hope.” Dr. Sulochana Yoganathan stated.
In the Histopathology Department at the NCI, staff members pointed out the requirement for an electronic microtome machine. The machine that was used earlier was manually operated, causing problems ranging from accuracy of trimming biopsy samples to the efficiency of the number of samples trimmed and sectioned per day. Staff members were also strained using the machine, which has to be hand operated, and this in turn led to repetitive strain injuries.
The Motorized Electronic Microtome donated by MAS amounting to Rs. 3 million (USD 26,000) solves all these issues. As opposed to having one manual machine in the department, the staff can now use both the motorized and manual machines simultaneously, all the while using the motorized machine for more accurate trimming and sectioning of the biopsy samples.
Where the trimming had to be done manually, the new Microtome machine can be programmed to operate automatically, increasing the number samples trimmed from 100 to 200 or even more, a 100% increase of efficiency. This has helped the staff a great deal since the samples are required not only for the regular hospitalized patients, but also for the thousands that travel to the NCI from across the island on a regular basis.
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