İSLAB Laboratuvarları Runs 100 Million Tests in One Year

The İSLAB project, implemented for the first time in Istanbul in Turkey, consolidated laboratories across the city into 4 centres under one roof. Within the scope of the project, the number of tests conducted in 4 laboratories equipped with high technology exceeded 100 million in one year. Laboratory Coordinator at Istanbul Provincial Health Directorate Assoc Prof Dr. Cemal Kazezoğlu stated: "We have begun conducting 90 percent of the tests that were previously sent outside."

Over 100 million tests conducted in one year

Under the İSLAB Project launched in November 2020 in Istanbul, hundreds of thousands of tests requested from patients—from family health centres to state hospitals, from training and research hospitals to city hospitals—are being processed in 4 central laboratories.   Under the project, two of the four regional laboratories established are located at Kartal Lütfi Kırdar City Hospital and Göztepe Prof. Dr. Süleyman Yalçın City Hospital on the Anatolian side, while the other two are located at Cemil Taşçıoğlu City Hospital and Kanuni Sultan Süleyman Training and Research Hospital on the European side. Samples collected from patients that are suitable for transport are sent to central laboratories by couriers starting from morning hours. Samples processed under the same standards are completed the same day. Citizens are able to view their test results online. The İSLAB laboratories house 900 high-technology devices in total, and the number of tests conducted in one year exceeded 100 million. In November, the number of tests processed in the 4 İSLAB laboratories reached 11 million 750 thousand. More than 20 academics, 80 laboratory specialists, and approximately 250 technical personnel work across the 4 laboratories. The İSLAB laboratory at Kanuni Sultan Süleyman Training and Research Hospital is the largest in terms of capacity.

Laboratories divided into four regions

Laboratory Coordinator at Istanbul Provincial Health Directorate Assoc Prof Dr. Cemal Kazezoğlu provided information about the project: "The İSLAB project is an initiative that the Provincial Health Directorate planned in 2019 and began implementing in 2020, aimed at harmonizing biochemistry and microbiology laboratory tests from all training and research hospitals, state hospitals, and family health centres serving our citizens in Istanbul, and ensuring they are processed under the same standards. Through this project, four regional laboratories were established in Istanbul. With this project, Istanbul was divided into 4 regions along with its laboratories. Laboratory test samples requested from the designated hospitals and family medicine practices in these four regions are brought to these regional laboratories by couriers, processed there, and results are sent online."

11 Million 750 Thousand Tests Conducted as of 2021

Kazezoğlu, noting that many tests had previously been conducted at private laboratories, said: "Each hospital would develop its own separate solution for this matter. We have now consolidated everything together. We have begun conducting 90 percent of the tests that were previously sent outside. Istanbul itself is like a country. When you consider it, as of November 2021, the number of tests processed in our 4 İSLABs exceeded 11 million 750 thousand. This is the İSLAB at Kanuni Sultan Süleyman, the regional laboratory of the fourth region we call the fourth. This is the laboratory with the highest capacity. Let it not be misunderstood—laboratory services continue to operate in place in hospitals as well, but the laboratories there have been reduced in scope to focus on emergency and intensive care tests. All remaining tests, as long as they are suitable for transport, are transferred to regional laboratories and processed there, so the work has been consolidated in a sense. In doing this, we have achieved cost savings. New technology and innovation have come into play. Test diversity has increased. Many beneficial outcomes have emerged."