KARACHI: The Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) will become Pakistan’s first public hospital to offer immediate biopsy reports for suspected cancer patients by introducing a confocal instant digital pathology system. This advanced technology will enable surgeons to determine tumor type and spread in real-time during surgery.
Professor Shahid Rasool, Executive Director of Jinnah Hospital Karachi, said the system, previously limited to private hospitals, will now be available at JPMC under the Sindh government’s Annual Development Programme with support from the Sindh Health Department.
The system processes samples and prepares slides during surgery, eliminating the usual 14 to 15-day wait for biopsy results. Two units costing Rs366 million will be installed: one in the surgical complex for departments including general surgery, orthopaedics, thoracic, and ENT, and another in the gynaecology ward.
The project aims to increase biopsy speed and accuracy while reducing patients’ time under anesthesia. Current biopsy methods like frozen section and core biopsy take longer and can risk patient safety.
Training and technical upgrades for medical staff will accompany the installation. Officials said the system will particularly benefit poor and middle-class patients unable to afford expensive private treatments.
