July 22: Patients examining their blood, urine and feces need not wait for days to get their reports. The reports can now be obtained within a few hours time with the help of the Laboratory Information System.

The system was launched yesterday morning. The Health minister Lyonpo Zanglay Dukpa and other senior officials from the Health Ministry attended the launch.

Everyday, as many as 300 patients visit the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital. They undergo various tests including blood and urine tests. So far the reports have to compiled manually which is time consuming and bothersome. There are also chances of health staff making errors.

For the patients, it means waiting in queues for long hours to collect their reports. This won’t be the case anymore. With the launch of the Laboratory Information System, health staff will not have to go through the long and laborious process. The patients will not have to wait in long lines.

Although the Laboratory Information System is currently available only at the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital in Thimphu, the Health Ministry is looking at the possibilities of establishing the system in other parts of the country.

The Laboratory Information System was launched with assistance from two medical professionals from the USA.