Medical lab business is the ideal business for any medical professional or lab scientist, who desire to become an entrepreneur; though the business is capital intensive as it requires you acquiring the standard machines/equipment needed to effectively run the business.

One of the most profitable businesses with high daily returns in Africa is a medical lab business. This is because people on a daily basis have one need or another to visit the lab for one test or the other, healthwise.

Medical lab plays important roles in the medical world, offering the greatest support to many hospitals and clinics all over the world. In Africa, many hospitals don’t have their own medical lab to carry out an important test on their patient, thereby relying on the services of the medical lab operators to bridge the gap.

Jobs of Medical Lab Operators

As a medical lab operator, your job cut across the entire clinical laboratory services including histology, immunology, hematology, blood banking, microbiology, blood chemistry. They also conduct prenatal blood tests and other more advanced tests to discover diseases such as diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and Cancer. Medical Lab scientists are also responsible for reporting and confirming the authenticity of lab test results and findings to physicians, pathologists, etc. This forms the bases of treatment of patients including drug administration.

Medical Lab Scientists mostly help nurses and doctors in deciding on the right lab tests for patients and ensuring that the right methods are used in the collection. Such specimens are then received from the patients by the Lab Scientists and analyzed, interpret and report the findings. While a Pathologist plays a crucial role in confirming the result of the analysis, interpreting and communicating the important findings to the physician is done by the Medical Laboratory Scientist.

Common Types of Test Medical Lab Operators Conducts

Medical Lab operators examine human fluid specimens using best practices in clinical lab science; most common in most African countries include:

• Blood Type
• Blood Culture
• HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) Test
• (BRCA) Breast Cancer Gene Test
• Stool Culture and Analysis
• Urine Test
• Electrolyte Panel Test
• Pregnancy Test
• Bone marrow counts
• White blood cell counts/differentials,
• Red blood cell count
• Test for Blood sugar level (to identify problems associated with blood sugar or diabetes).

Business Viability

The viability of Medical Lab business is indisputable; it is a business that is classified under essential services because their services are always needed regardless of any situation in the country. Research revealed that about 70% of all medical decision about a patient’s health analysis and treatment, patient’s admission into the hospital and their discharge are based on medical lab test results. Therefore, medical lab business is a viable business that worth investment of your money and resources.

Step by Step Process in Establishing a Lab Business in Africa

Acquire the necessary Certifications/License

Every medical related profession is highly regulated and monitored all over the world. This is because of the significant impact of their activities on human life. Africa is no exemption, you need a license to operate a medical lab business in Africa; this license is given by the Medical Laboratory Science Council or Agencies in many Africa countries. They also have the power to withdraw your licenses for unprofessional acts.

Find a Suitable Location

The location of your medical Lab has a great impact on the business; you should not take the lab to where your services may not be needed often like villages if your intention is to make a profit. The location that is close to a hospital, university, manufacturers, etc is a good marketing strategy for medical lab business, it can secure your lab more contracts as it reduces costs on both ends like transportation cost of specimens and clients visit to the lab.

In finding a location for your lab, you should also keep in mind security as the lab equipment, the people and lab contents in the center needs adequate protection. Also, there is a need for climate control during testing situations. You should not forget also that the size of the lab is important because some of the lab equipment are large and can take up a lot of space.

Acquire the Equipment You Need to Start Your Medical Lab Business

Some of the important equipment you need for a standard lab business include but not limited to the following (depending on the type of tests you intend to run):

• Autoanalyzer
• Centrifuge
• Microscopes
• Two computers
• Refrigerator
• LaserJet printer
• Portable ice coolers
• Furniture for the blood drawing rooms
• spectrophotometer
• Syringes, Latex gloves, and needles
• blood testing machine (Complete)
• test tube
• Waiting room furniture
• reagents and

Start the Hiring Process

After you find a location and equip the locations, you can start hiring if you cannot run the center alone. Note that the industry is regulated and those to work with you in the lab may need a licensed too; this can limit your choice of applicants. You may also hire a security or contract such service to a private security firm.

Marketing Strategy

Apart from the professional qualification or license required to practice as a lab scientist in Africa, you need basic business skills or employ the services people with the basic business skills to be able to stand out in the lab business in Africa.

You must build a good relationship with doctors and other hospital staffs to win their favor in referring patients to your lab regularly as referrals from the hospitals and clinics happen to be one of the major sources of customer traffic to the medical lab centers. You should also engage the services of a business developer to assist you in building a good customer or partnership relationship with your target market(s).

Initial Capital Outlay

The initial cost of starting a medical lab business is relatively in the middle to upper ranges. Startup costs for medical lab entrepreneurship are the same as for any startup business in Africa. ($20,000 – $250,000).