SRL Diagnostics, India’s leading diagnostics chain with the largest accredited lab network, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University (DSEU), an institute set up by the Delhi Government that equips students with skills education and enables candidates for employment.
SRL will partner with DSEU to co-create the content & curriculum for undergraduate studies that aim at an industry-relevant programme for training students in the field of Medical Laboratory Technology. SRL will also be on the Board of Studies to review the program periodically and update it to bring it in line with the industry requirements. The prime areas of the program would include laboratory specialities like Biochemistry, Haematology, Microbiology, Serology, Histopathology and Cytology, Genetics and Molecular Diagnosis.
India has a very low density of health workers per 10,000 population and the distribution of the health workforce across the Indian states is highly skewed. A Public Health Foundation of India report in 2012 reported a lack of over 3 lakh skilled and trained medical laboratory technologists and this number has gone up over the last decade. Collaboration such as these between academic institutes and industry partners will help bridge this gap of the skilled medical workforce that the country needs.
Commenting on the partnership, Anand K, CEO, SRL Diagnostics said, “I believe this is a very good opportunity for cross-fertilisation of ideas. It is wonderful to find a partner like DSEU who believes in the same ideology of skill development in the field of medical lab science. More such partnerships are required to address the shortage of skilled resources in our industry. We will also facilitate sponsorships for those students who are top-performing and those students who are not able to afford the program financially. Students who complete this diploma and undergraduate program will get opportunities as phlebotomists, accessioning officers and lab technologists.”
Additionally, students can also benefit from SRL’s extensive network of over 420+ labs for laboratory visits and internship programs that will provide them with a perspective of global laboratory standards. SRL has a large network of experienced and renowned doctors comprising of MD, PhDs and scientists who are well-positioned to add a lot of value to this program. With 4 centres of excellence and a test portfolio of over 4000 tests, SRL Diagnostics touches the lives of13 million patients each year in over 600 cities across India.