MDLink Diagnostic taking lab work to another level
Published:Friday | July 7, 2023 | 12:12 AMAsha Wilks/Gleaner Writer
SINCE ITS acquisition of Fleet Diagnostic Laboratory Limited last year July, telehealth service provider MDLink has been building out its services to bring the company closer to achieving its objective of becoming the leading diagnostic laboratory in Jamaica.
Speaking at yesterday’s launch of the MDLink Diagnostic Laboratory, founder and chief executive officer of MDLink, Dr. Ché Bowen, explained that the company has accomplished, so far, the expansion of MDLink Diagnostic Labs to include five new locations in May Pen, Clarendon; St Thomas; Portland; Portmore and Spanish Town in St Catherine.
“We’d like to continue expanding rapidly through the entire nation,” he said.
Continuing, he said that the company has also broadened its service offerings to include surgical pathology and that by the end of this week, a microbiology department will be set up.
Bowen, who also serves as chief medical officer and director of MDLink and MDLink Diagnostic Laboratory, expressed further that another objective was to implement first-world upgrades of the labs through areas such as technology, innovation, customer convenience and satisfaction within the next six months. MDLink Diagnostics is a fully accredited medical lab by the Jamaica National Agency for Accreditation (JANAAC).
The company’s CEO also teased the possibility of the launch of an initial public offering (IPO).
Fleet Diagnostic Laboratory Limited was founded in March 2014, beginning with only six staff members. Since then, they have grown in numbers, operating currently with a compliment of 27 trained employees. Its main testing facility is located in Premier Plaza, Kingston 10, with collection sites located in Clarendon, St Ann, St Mary, St Thomas, St Catherine and Kingston and St Andrew.
MDLink, which was founded in 2017, first started as a telemedicine company providing online medical consultations for its patients, and later expanded its offerings to include a drive-thru location.
Its goal is to improve and reinvent access to healthcare through innovative techniques, connecting with individuals through its online medical platform and supplying Jamaicans with accessible healthcare to some of the best doctors and medical services in the region without hassle.
Speaking on the importance of laboratory testing in healthcare, Dr. Brian James, president of Medical Association of Jamaica (MAJ), said that laboratory services continued to play a crucial role in the health sector as it is one of the most utilised facilities that helped to offer treatment specifically tailored for individual patients.
“The health physician gathers important diagnostic information relating to various illnesses. As a practicing and a very attentive anaesthetist, I am qualified to attest to the critical importance of information derived from clinical testing. We must know the physiological status to predict any interaction with the myriad drugs we give during anaesthetic management,” said James.
“If the labs were to suddenly stop operating, medical practice would collapse,” he added.
He urged the company to reduce plastic waste, conserve water, reduce energy consumption, implement recycling and reusing strategies and to share resources and utilise greener techniques. This as the sector continued to battle the issues of climate change and global warming, which he described to be “the biggest health threats of the 21st century”.
James further applauded the company’s plan to convert operations to utilise solar energy within the next six months.