iSOFT wins Moscow lab system contract
26 June 2008
IBA Health Group company iSOFT has won a contract for its LabCentre
laboratory information system with Gemotest, a Moscow-based private
laboratory group.
The laboratory system will be installed initially at Gemotest’s main
laboratory at Moscow before the end of 2008. Here, 50 of the group’s 100
staff process 10,000 specimens a day. But the investment in LabCentre
will also underpin Gemotest’s growth strategy, which includes plans to
establish a further six laboratories in Russia within two years.
An important factor for Gemotest is that LabCentre is already proven
in Russia. The system is used by KDL Test, a private laboratory chain,
at its laboratories in Moscow, Omsk, Perm, and Krasnodar.
Under the project plan, iSOFT will install the clinical laboratory
module first and then the microbiology module. LabCentre will be
integrated with 16 analyser systems to optimise workflows, improve
specimen control and increase efficiency.
Russia is a key market for iSOFT and the company sees huge potential
for its range of laboratory, radiology and hospital information systems.
The market is currently worth US$2 billion a year but is growing at a
rate of 15% annually. Russia’s National Health Programme includes US$1.7
billion for 15 new specialised health centres.
Andrea Fiumicelli, iSOFT’s chief operating officer, said: “The
agreement with Gemotest is an important step in our expansion strategy
in Russia. This is a relatively immature market, but our early
involvement will pay dividends in the long run.”