Media Release
Udupi, Aug 31: Quidel Ortho, a global leader in diagnostic testing, proudly recognised more than 15 years of fruitful collaboration with the Kasturba Hospital Blood Centre and its esteemed Centre of Excellence (COE) in immunohematology.
At a special event organised today, Kripa D’Souza, regional director of finance ASPAC at Quidel Ortho, presented a memento to the COE team, acknowledging their long-standing association and remarkable contributions to advancing immunohematology in India.
Rafeeq S M, head of operational excellence and L&D - ASPAC at Quidel Ortho, lauded the COE's recent achievements, particularly highlighting the significant progress made in the past four months. "The advancements here have brought substantial benefits to patients nationwide," he remarked, emphasising the centre’s growing impact.
Dr Sharath Rao, pro-vice chancellor of Health Sciences at Manipal Academy of Higher Education, noted the COE’s next phase of development would focus on advancing research in immunohematology. "We are committed to pushing the boundaries of knowledge and innovation in this critical field," said Dr Rao.
Dr Shamee Shastry, the chief coordinator of the Centre of Excellence, provided an overview of the specialised services offered at the COE, which include blood group discrepancy resolution, antibody screening and identification, monocyte monolayer assay, antenatal antibody screening, and autoimmune haemolytic anaemia workup.
Dr Shastry also announced an exciting new international collaboration with the Australian red cross reference laboratory, aimed at tackling complex immunohematology cases. In addition to their diagnostic services, the centre regularly hosts workshops and training programs to foster learning and skill development among professionals in the field.
Dr Anand Venugopal, chief operating officer, teaching hospital, MAHE, Manipal, Dr Avinash Shetty, medical superintendent of Kasturba Hospital, and Krishnamurthy M, clinical expert from Quidel Ortho were present.
This milestone celebration underscores the enduring partnership between Quidel Ortho and Kasturba Hospital and their shared commitment to enhancing patient care through excellence in immunohematology.