The ongoing pandemic has made one thing very sure, that people are taking healthcare very seriously. They are more conscious about the quality of healthcare they are getting rather than the costs. Quality of healthcare depends upon three factors: immediate testing/check-up, accurate diagnosis and results, and the best suitable treatment.
As people are already more conscious, when it comes to their and their family’s health, they will go for a quick check-up. Now comes the second most important factor, which is diagnosis and results. Although doctors test and treat the patients, they cannot completely diagnose and check for the results, if not provided immediately and accurately, by the competent pathological laboratories. And doctor’s and patient’s search for a modern, cutting edge, compassionate, affordable, competent, and reputed diagnostic testing laboratory ends with Dr Jariwala Laboratory.
With an experience spanning over three decades and being pioneers of Beta-Thalassaemia and Abnormal Haemoglobin’s diagnosis, today the lab offers an accurate analysis of a wide range of tests across the fields ranging from Haematology to Cytology. Not only that, but they also provide home-based testing services. How convenient!
In a conversation with Insights Success, Lab’s second-generation Pathologist and Director, Dr Pratik Jariwala, is illuminating us about the lab’s popularity amongst its consumers. Let us get the details, as accurate, as always.
Sir, please, describe the Lab in detail.
Dr Jariwala Laboratory is one of the oldest and most reputed diagnostic laboratories in the northern suburbs of Mumbai. Established in 1981, by Founder-Director – Dr Harshad Jariwala, the laboratory aims to solely provide high-quality diagnostic services at affordable costs. Diagnostic services, offered under various sub-specialities of Pathology include Haematology and Clinical Pathology, Microbiology and Serology, Biochemistry and Immunochemistry and Molecular diagnostics. Other services include Home Diagnostics, Radiology and Cardiac diagnostics
The laboratory is accredited for ISO 15189:2012 by NABL, India and is NABH certified.
What inspired you to enter the industry you are catering to?
The decision was more of a default. Being a second-generation doctor, the focus was always on taking the organization forward, offering exemplary patient care, prompt service, and world-class quality.
What kind of services do you provide to your clients?
We provide a wide range of diagnostic testing services which include Pathology and Radiology. Home testing services for those who prefer the convenience of their homes. These too include pathology tests, portable X-rays and ECG. We also provide in-house testing and Lab management services to hospitals and ICU units.
What challenges have you faced while entering the industry you are catering to and how did you transform these challenges into opportunities?
Healthcare diagnostics is a lucrative industry, and everyone eyes a chunk of it. This has led to increased competition and mushrooming of several diagnostic setups. Retention of patients has been a challenge, with them being increasingly empowered and presented with a wide range of options. The only way to sustain and survive is through patient loyalty. This challenge has provided us with an opportunity to improve our patient engagement and give them an experience to remember whenever they come to us. Understanding their needs, responding to queries, communication with regards to results and prompt resolution of complaints has helped us to a great extent, to overcome the challenges faced.
How was your lab affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and what measures did you take to shorten the damages, while helping your clients and maintaining the safety of your employees?
The beginning of the pandemic was chaotic with a lack of direction for most private healthcare providers. With any other regular work practically at a halt, providing with Covid and all supporting investigations was the only way to survive the battle and fulfilling our responsibility as a healthcare provider. With the infrastructure already in place even before the pandemic, it was only a matter of time that we would start with covid RT-PCR testing in-house. Additional equipment was procured too, to enhance our testing capacity, with a faster turnaround time, to assist our clients and patients for prompt remedial measures.
Overcoming apprehension and ensuring the safety of the employees was imperative, to ensure that we are able to fulfil our duty as a healthcare provider. This was allayed with swift procurement of safety equipment and creating negative pressure rooms in both testing and sampling areas. Along with this, there was a strong backing given to our employees, to face any adverse eventuality.
What would you like to advise the young generation of entrepreneurs and enthusiasts who want to become a part of the industry you are catering to?
Focus on service and quality is imperative and cannot be compromised at any cost. Young entrepreneurs should keep in mind that there is no shortcut to this, especially in the healthcare industry. Additionally, sensitivity to patients needs and willingness to stretch yourself to serve will help create a niche for your brand and business.
Where do you see yourself in the future? Kindly tell us about your strategies for scaling your business.
We will continue to strengthen our position in the northern suburbs of Mumbai and strive to provide better and more innovative services to our patients. There is a renowned focus on home services which include portable X-rays and ECG. IT enhancement for better patient engagement will play a huge role further few years. Efforts will also be made to improvise our services to hospitals and other clients to enhance better and prompt patient care.
What is the current scenario of your industry?
The industry today is more competitive than ever. There are new ventures coming in by the day and are trying to penetrate the market by whatever means possible. The use of IT has enabled a more customer-centric approach. This has led to better service and quality and a reduction in diagnostic costs. Preventive diagnostics has picked up strongly with industries and individuals becoming more health sensitive. Covid diagnosis too has helped tremendously with it being made mandatory for travel and also as a requirement before hospitalization and medical procedures. With molecular diagnostics now widely available, several diagnostic setups are exploring its utility in infectious diseases, genetic and cancer diagnoses.
Thanks to a wide range of information available, consumers are now more empowered with a wide range of options and to make informed decisions. Consumers are now looking at not only service providers who are reasonable, but also who are recognised, have quality certifications, provide wider services with expertise, have an online presence and who provide home services.
The Young Visionary:
Dr Pratik Jariwala, Director at Dr Jariwala Laboratory, is an MD in Pathology and also holds a management diploma. After joining the organisation in 2007, Dr Pratik focused on widening services and scalability by enhancing the quality and integrating IT with high-end technology. He has been responsible for introducing various new technologies in the laboratory which include Immunofluorescence, PCR, ECLIA, and flow-cytometry, EHR to name a few. With his strong determination to create a niche for the brand, Dr Pratik has been able to achieve a growth of over 500% in the last 14 years.
