Planning to set up a medical diagnostic centre? Wondering where to get a diagnostic lab equipment list? Want to know what is the cost of setting up a diagnostic centre? What are the other requirements to be taken care of when setting up a diagnostic Lab?
If yes, you have come to the right place. Read on for information on diagnostic centre equipment and a good sense of how much it would cost.
Labs are classified by NABL into
- small (less than 100 patients per day),
- medium (101-400 patients per day) and
- large (>400 patients per day)
Most of the discussion here will be related to small & medium Labs. What are the basic requirements for a small lab?
Diagnostic Centre Planning
Diagnostic Lab Equipment List
Coming to the crux of the matter… What medical equipment are required to set-up a diagnostic path lab? Here is a list of equipment required to set-up a diagnostic path lab covering most of the segments:
- Hematology Analyser / Cell Counter
- Bio-chemistry Analyser
- Electrolyte Analyser
- Urine Analyser
- Coagulometer
- HB1Ac machine
- Eliza Plate Washer & Reader
- ImmunoAssay Analyser
- ESR Analyser
- Serum protein analyzer
- Microscope
- Incubator
- Centrifuge
- Tissue Diagnostics
- Microtome
- Paraffin wax bath
- Grossing work station
- Tissue floatation Bath
- Tissue processor
- Microbiology
- Automated Microbiology System
- Water Bath
- Hot Air Oven
- Drying oven
- BOD Incubator
- Humidity Cabinet
- Bio Safety cabinet
- Laminar Airflow
- Freezer/ Refrigerator
- Autoclave
- Lab balance, mixers, shakers, stirrers, pipettes
And the list can go on… Read more
29 Equipment’s Every Microbiology Laboratory Should Have
So do you need all these equipment to set-up a lab? Not necessarily.
Now, what equipment you need for the diagnostic lab depends on the scope of work you wish to do. It may be easy to buy all the equipment if you have enough funds, but it is important to have sufficient patient volumes to justify the investments. Reagents account for nearly 70% of the IVD market by value, only 30% is instruments and devices. This is the reason why the diagnostic equipment market is largely dominated by reagents-based lease rentals rather than outright sale. This also means that your profitability highly depends on efficient usage of reagents. So how do you decide on scope of work for your lab?
Scope of Work for Diagnostic Lab
Clinical Pathology is a medical specialty that is concerned with the diagnosis of disease based on the laboratory analysis of bodily fluids, such as blood, urine, and tissue homogenates or extracts using chemistry, microbiology, hematology and molecular pathology. Hence, the main departments one will find under Pathology are Hematology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Immunology, Serology, Histopathology, Cytopathology etc.
Based on type of test equipment – the IVD (In-Vitro Diagnostics) market is categorized into immunodiagnostics, clinical chemistry, hematology & Coagulation, Urine analysis, molecular diagnostics, tissue diagnostics and others. The clinical chemistry segment is further divided into basic metabolic panel, liver panel, lipid profile, thyroid function panel, electrolyte panel, specialty chemicals, and others.
Biochemistry, Immunodiagnostics and hematology account for nearly 60-70% of India market for Lab equipment. Biochemistry is the largest segment with close to 25% market share followed by Immunodiagnostics at 22% and hematology. Microbiology, Urinalysis, Coagulation, Molecular Diagnostics, Tissue diagnostics each account for 5-6% or less.
So this should tell us that the most commonly sold equipment are hematology, biochemistry and immunology analysers. Why?
To answer this let us take a look at the most commonly ordered lab investigations.
Most commonly ordered Diagnostic Lab tests
Following are the most commonly ordered tests:
- Full Blood Examination/ Complete Blood Count
Also known as a CBC, this test is the most common blood test performed. - INR / Prothrombin Time
- Basic Metabolic Panel
This test measures glucose, sodium, potassium, calcium, chloride, carbon dioxide, blood urea nitrogen and creatinine which can help determine blood sugar level, electrolyte and fluid balance as well as kidney function. - Other frequently ordered tests are
- Iron studies
- Lipid Panel
- Liver Panel / LFT
- Thyroid Stimulating Hormone
- Hemoglobin A1C
- Urinalysis
- Cultures
If a hospital has a basic level in-house lab, at the very least it sould have capability to do CBC & Basic Metabolic Profile and outsource the rest. Hence a cell counter (hematology analyse) and a bio-chemistry analyser are the most basic requirement. If the scope of the lab is wider, based on what test capabilities you are planning, accordingly additional equipment may be considered.
There are so many brands available in the market. How do they compare? Which are the top selling brands in India? Which one should I buy?
Top Brands in the Lab Equipment Market in India
- Roche Diagnostic
- Siemens
- Transasia Bio–Medicals Ltd.
- Abbott Laboratories
- Sysmex Corporation
- Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc
- bioMérieux
- Others
While Roche is the market leader in India with 14% market share, Siemens and TransAsia are not far behind. Most of the brands have presence in all segments of the IVD market; still some are more popular in specific segments.
Generally speaking, MNCs occupy ~60 percent share in the IVD market, Indian companies 40 percent. MNCs cater to A&B class diagnostic labs/ hospitals while Indian companies cater to C&D class (A|B|C|D classification based on volume of diagnostic tests done).
Cost of Equipment for a Lab
Cost of equipment for a small Diagnostic Lab
A very basic small lab setup either in a small location (with not more than 20-30 patients a day) or one serving as a stat lab within a nursing home or hospital will need at the minimum the following:
- 3-part differential cell counter
- Semi-automatic biochemistry analyser
- Centrifuge
- Binocular Microscope
- Incubator
- Autoclave/ sterilizer
- Reagents & Consumables
- Refrigerator
This will help cover basic hematology, biochemistry tests and sample collection & preparation to outsource all other tests. Even if going for minimum specifications and cheapest equipment models, for the above one should budget for at least Rs 5-7 lakhs of investment. If however you are considering refurbished or used equipment, costs could be half of the above.
Cost of equipment for medium to large Lab
If however the scope of work is more extensive the budgets will vary based on intended plan as follows:
Cell counter/ hematology analyser
3-part or 5/6-part differential cell counter? What should you go for? Read more about this to decide.
Features and specifications to look for when buying hematology analyzer or cell counter
Cell Counter is a must-have for any Lab. However, the price of a cell counter could vary from Rs 1-16 lakhs or more, based on how automated the system is, how many parameters need reporting, throughput (samples/hour), sample volume & modes, close/ open system, data storage capability, digital connectivity, HL7 compatibility, hardware features like display, touchscreen, dimensions, weight etc. and finally condition of the equipment. If you are taking on rental basis, equipment is free and you just have to pay for the reagents.
Bio-chemistry analyser
Bio-chemistry analyser is also one of the most basic equipment for any Lab. However, the price of a bio-chemistry analyser could vary from less than a lakh to more than Rs 10 lakhs or more, based on how fully automated the system is, how many user-defined test programs can be done, no. of analysis/ assay modes (from 9 to >100), throughput could be as less as 100 to as much as 2400 tests/hour, photometric range, interference filters, memory, QC, measuring module, aspiration volume, data storage capability, digital connectivity, HL7 compatibility, hardware features like built-in printer, display, touchscreen, dimensions, weight etc. and finally condition of the equipment. If you are taking on rental basis, equipment is free and you just have to pay for the reagents.
Similarly Immunology, Urine Analysis, Electrolye or ESR analysers and cost of all other systems essentially varies based on degree of automation, accuracy of outcomes, throughput, # of parameters of reporting capability, cost efficiencies etc.
MNCs mostly have automated closed systems. Indian companies have a mix of automated & Semi automated systems, but are mostly open systems. In general, lesser the level of automation, more open the system, lesser parameters or test capabilities being handled – cheaper the equipment is going to be.
Radiology & Imaging equipment for Diagnostic Centre
In addition to IV Diagnostic equipment, typically diagnostic centres offer basic X-Ray and Ultrasound facilities too.
- Digital X-Ray – Most hospitals and diagnostic centres go for an X-Ray machine and CR System to replace a digital X-Ray system. An X-Ray machine (100mA-500mA) would cost between Rs 2-5 lakhs. Minimum cost of a new CR System could be around Rs 6 lakhs. So in less than Rs 1 million one could own a new digital X-Ray system with (X-Ray machine / CR System combo).
- Ultrasound machine – could cost anywhere between Rs 3- 75 lakhs based on various parameters. For a diagnostic centre a general purpose, colour Doppler ultrasound machine with four probes is recommended.
If your centre is aiming to do preventive health checks consider the following equipment additionally:
- Mammography
- Bone Mineral Densitometry machine
- ECG
- Treadmill Test (TMT machine)
- EEG/ ENMG
- PFT/ Spirometer
A high-end Diagnostic Centre would also feature CT Scanner and MRI machine. Cost of these systems vary widely based on their technical specification and capabilities.
PrimedeQ is an eMarketplace for medical equipment. We offer all types of Diagnostic Lab and imaging equipment including used / refurbished. We also assist in medical equipment repair & maintenance services at www.Primedeq.com. Contact us at +918971223957 or +917019759765 for all your medical equipment related needs.
The post Medical Diagnostic Centre and Lab Equipment List appeared first on Primedeq-Blog.
