THE Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) is currently undergoing renovations to establish a telepathology laboratory, which will result in a quicker turnaround time for obtaining results from pathology samples.

This was disclosed by Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony, at a recent press conference, where he stated that the equipment has been procured and the space is currently being prepared.

Telepathology employs remote pathology using telecommunication links, which enable the transmission of digital pathology images electronically.

During the conference, the minister noted that, in 2023, they have been able to reduce the turnaround time in terms of diagnostics, as he indicated that in the past, in some cases, biopsy results would take about three months and sometimes even longer.

Last year, he said that they have been able to reduce that waiting time to less than a week for results and added that in the first quarter of this year, telepathology will be introduced.

This, he said, is a project that the hospital has been working on in collaboration with Mount Sinai, as he indicated that the equipment has been procured.

“We have started the renovation of a section of the Georgetown Hospital to accommodate this new lab and, once that is completed, we will install the equipment,” he revealed.

Furthermore, the hospital staff have already received training in the respective field and will seamlessly transition into working once it becomes operational.

The laboratory will establish a direct link with Mount Sinai’s lab in New York, enabling them to capture high-resolution images of the samples and involve their pathologists in making a diagnosis.

Simultaneously, the health minister has emphasised the inadequacy of the current two pathologists. As a result, the introduction of this technology is anticipated to enhance diagnostic turnaround times for cancer and other patients.