Quality and confidentiality are the watchwords of the newest medical facility to open its doors here in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.{{more}}

Sigma Medical Laboratories Incorporated (SMLI), located next to CL’s Pharmacy at Bentick Square, (Hospital Road) in Kingstown, has a mission to provide professional medical laboratory service by utilizing clinically relevant, cost effective and current laboratory techniques to enhance the health of all its clients.

“Laboratory service is an essential service within the health care industry, so there is always going to be a market for it. It is my hope that with the type of quality service we are going to be giving here, nobody would dare come on stream or go elsewhere.”

So says a confident John Bascombe, Managing Director of SMLI.

Bascombe, who has had many years of experience in the field of laboratory testing, on a private and public level, believes that the persons who attended the lab’s official launch last Friday, March 4, took the first steps in what he hopes will be an exhilarating journey in the field of health care in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Disclosing that the idea of this lab had been conceived years ago, Bascombe proclaimed that the time has finally come for a facility that meets the varying needs of its clients.

“Our motto is: ‘Quality is a cost we cannot afford to cut’, and indeed quality is our watchword…. Please don’t confuse quality with expensive; we are looking at the holistic picture when it comes to quality, everything must be balanced… no test will be left undone.”

“Quality for us also includes all aspects of our operations including staff expertise, equipment and service which also encompasses atmosphere.”

Bascombe stressed that the clients at Sigma Laboratories can be assured the highest level of confidentiality, which he indicated is a core value that will be maintained at all times.

He said that breach of this serious contract with the client by staff will not be tolerated.

“We ensure that all clients’ information is secure and protected from unauthorized disclosure,” Bascombe affirmed.

“Confidentiality is something that a lot of patients are always worried about; it is part of why they don’t want to use the public service, even though I have worked at the hospital and confidentiality is maintained there, so I can’t dare open up my laboratory and not mention that.”

Bascombe promised that the facility will not only keep their clients’ secrets, but they will also listen to suggestions given, in an effort to lift the standard of the Laboratory.

A wide range of services will be offered at Sigma, these include urine, stool, DNA, and other hematology and chemistry tests, all done in a ‘comfortable and sanitary environment’, using state of the art machines and techniques.

Bascombe indicated that the services would be provided by a staff that is eager to help each person who enters the establishment for assistance, and currently consists of himself, Office Manager Sherryl Phils, phlebotomist Robert Haddaway, Laboratory Technician trainee Kalique Haywood and Office Attendant Rhonda McNichols, with others working behind the scenes to ensure the best in service that has been promised to clients.

He noted that the lab’s name was chosen because of its significance to the sum of all experiences, talents and expertise of the parties involved in the project, and that since the word is of Greek origin and Latin was the root language of science and medicine it fit perfectly with the vision of the laboratory’s management.

“SMLI was conceptualized to make private laboratory testing and by extension health care to the next level in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and it is a goal that with your support we hope to achieve sooner than later; because we have much more in store and it is indeed our intention to be here in the distant future and to be growing with you from strength to strength.”