Innovation and developing technology are revolutionizing the world of diagnostics and lab testing – making it more handy, convenient, and faster. With advanced analytics, mobility, and IoT, the healthcare industry has been digitally modified to treat patients effectively with corrective measures.
India’s leading super-specialized laboratory network – Oncquest Laboratories Ltd are among the developed business model who has shaped its name among favorite clinicians, specialty hospitals, and other path labs. Building a legacy of trust and accuracy with two decades in pathology testing, Oncquest has progressively evolved over time. Started as a research entity, it is known for second opinion and final diagnosis, using the most advanced technology and skills, and for its excellence in Molecular and Clinical Diagnostics.
Oncquest started as a research lab in Dabur Research Foundation in 2001. In 2003 Oncquest moved to a new office in Safdarjung Enclave doing Molecular Biology, Flow Cytometry which was further expanded to other services and departments like Histopathology, IHC in 2004, Cytogenetics in 2006, and routine pathology in 2010. Hospital Lab Management was started, CAP accreditations, patient support programs started in 2005, and Clinical Trials as separate verticals by 2010.
A strong network of 43 Laboratories, 350+ Collection Centers, 1700+ Service Associates, with a strong presence in South Asia. Oncquest has a highly skilled and globally reputed team of qualified doctors with a combined experience of 600+ years. Its logistic capabilities and Pan Asia geographical spread make Oncquest an ideal associate for all clinical activities in India and neighboring countries.
Oncquest is now on an aggressive expansion mode having acquired Quest Diagnostics’ Indian operations from Strand last year.
Oncquest has a range of preventive health packages catering to the specific needs of each family member and based on gender, lifestyle, geographical trends, family history, and current/topical health issues.
Some of the packages include:
- Inner Fitness Packages – Beginners (for youngsters), Champion (middle-aged) and Legend (for seniors).
- Cardiac, Diabetes, and similar other Inner Fitness Packages. For People especially with a family history of Cardiac, Diabetes, and other diseases.
- Immunity Check Packages – General and Advanced. The immunity check packages were designed keeping the current pandemic in mind since a healthy immune system is the best defense against COVID-19.
- Advanced screening packages covering extensive health parameters screening for bacterial/viral infection/inflammation / autoimmune disorders, etc.
The packages are available across networks under different names and localized offerings. But all of them will have the same underlying scientific basis.
Preventive Health & Cleanliness drive
In consonance with the National initiative, the spirit of cleanliness through camps and other mass screening activities are also included to highlight the relationship between health, cleanliness, and potential diseases; clinical and subclinical.
Various community initiatives are undertaken by Oncquest every year to promote good health and hygiene. These initiatives cover areas like smoking, hand hygiene, mass screenings for HPV, nicotine levels, infective disorders like gastroenteritis, parasitic infestations, fungal and viral infections, etc., and screenings for general health. The belief is that preventive actions can reduce the incidence of infective disorders significantly.
The activities start with pre counseling before the conduct of examination and tests, followed with physical examination and detection of diseases, measurement of height, weight, and blood pressure, tests are carried out, counseling is done during the examination, and follow up counseling is done once the test results are available.
Rapidly Growing Healthcare Market
The vision is to become the most influential and appreciated partner for diagnostics. Started with Clinical Pathology service in 2001 and expanding to Molecular Biology and Flow Cytometry, the scientific team has now grown soundly from basic routine tests to the highly advanced/esoteric genome testing and predictive diagnostics.
Oncquest has an in-house R&D Department that validates technologies from abroad, calibrates them against Indian people, their genetics constitution, environment settings, etc.
Lack of Govt. regulations and no entry barriers prompted many non-serious players to jump into the fray. This paved way for mushrooming of standalone diagnostic players. Low entry barriers, start-ups / investor-funded small companies with low scientific backgrounds could muscle through with disruptive pricing, posing a major challenge to serious players whose bottom line got eroded.
The prices of hi-end specialized Laboratory tests have been brought down by 40-60% in the past few years when compared to their international prices.
Being a doctors’ brand – Oncquest is moving forward to leverage its expertise in B2B, to expand its segment in B2C with major cities in mind. Setting the right team to spearhead their growth with handpicked professionals, the goal is to reach out to the end customers and patients.
Dwelling in the space for the last 2 decades with a sound medical team, Oncquest is leading the oncology-based testing market with the consistent support of their promoters – that are also the promoters of Dabur.
The industry itself is growing at a CAGR of 15-20% and the shift to a recognized chain of laboratories is happening at a greater pace. With Government stepping up accreditations and controls, the more serious players who have invested in quality and accreditations will stand to benefit more than the players from the unorganized segment.
Although plenty of services get affected due to lockdown and subsequent closure of OPDs, the health network of Oncquest kept their service open for critical and emergency testing. On receiving approval from ICRM for Covid-19 testing, they also continued to assist the Delhi government and other pertinent hospitals.
Leveraging Hi-Tech
Technological advancements were fast-tracked during the current pandemic, Govt. worked out virtual accreditations of labs/fast approvals, SOPs, apps for nation-wide tracking, all helped fight the pandemic using technology with greater ease.
Post pandemic there is a growing realization of the importance of digital tools in diagnostics, and the need to identify health issues early. Online channels have mushroomed offering information, consults, virtual assistants, together with new and innovative concepts like genetics-based testing, etc.
Advancements in Genetics, Information technology, and digital pathology are transforming Histopathology and many other pathology subspecialties like Microbiology. In histopathology, screen-based reading is being used more than conventional microscopes. Startups operating in niche segments are bringing new and innovative ways to reach out to patients with point-of-care solutions and can bring world-class healthcare solutions into the remote areas of the country.
With the diseases getting complex by the day, there is a growing dependence on diagnostics. With advanced technology and AI-based solutions, the challenges and uncertainties related to difficult diagnostics will be reduced, and accuracy will increase.
