A Brief History

Microlabs Limited was incorporated in February 1974 at 5 Tangerine Place in Kingston, Jamaica. Our laboratory started with a team of two medical technologists and an accountant. Later we expanded to include a microbiologist and a third technologist.

The original concept of the laboratory was specialty clinical and industrial microbiology. In this respect the laboratory offered a wide variety of exotic services including culture for mycoplasma, trichomonas, entomeba and the common food poisoning and spoilage organisms. The laboratory soon achieved recognition after we passed a rigid quality control assessment conducted by the Gillette Corporation and was chosen as one of the few laboratories worldwide to do independent microanalysis on their entire product range.

Doctors in Kingston soon started to demand a full diagnostic service. We expanded the laboratory in late 1974 to include clinical chemistry and hematology. We also introduced densitometric scanning of electrophoresis patterns so that physicians could have permanent records of patients’ results. Our electrophoresis department had many firsts in the island; these included isoenzymes of LDH, CPK, Alk Phos as well as lipoproteins and immunoelectrophoresis.

The Journey Out West

In 1978, Microlabs and another laboratory came together to form a third entity. The objective was to pool resources to provide doctors and patients with comprehensive all island laboratory services. It was during this period that our laboratory expanded into Montego Bay.

On January 2, 1981 our laboratory began full service operations at 18 Humber Ave. We began with two members of staff, one of which was the managing director. At the very beginning, our approach was community driven. We promptly decided that our staff in western Jamaica should be drawn from professionals in the community. Everything was done to attract and train talent from St. James and bordering parishes. We achieved 100% success in this endeavor.

The expansion into Montego Bay was very successful. Doctors became our partners and made many useful suggestions about introduction of new tests and other ways to improve our services. Our success in western Jamaica today is in a large part due to their recommendations.

Our first phlebotomy center in western Jamaica was established in Sav-la-mar in January 1982. We later found ways to take our service to the community by establishing several other patient centers throughout western Jamaica.

Microlabs prepares for the future...

In 1988, the partnership with the third entity ended and Microlabs resumed operations under its original corporate name. The laboratory then saw rapid development in Montego Bay, Mandeville and other communities in Jamaica.

Our laboratory was unquestionably the first in the entire country to introduce computer generated laboratory reports. This was a major development in the way we conducted business. It paid handsome dividends in the storage and retrieval of patient information. Today, we have computer records going back more than 10 years, all digitally archived.

Our diagnostic laboratories are more than 70% automated, with the latest technology in laboratory instrumentation. This is a proud position for a laboratory in a small country. We were the first laboratory in the English speaking Caribbean to establish a web site where doctors and patients could go to obtain useful service information with links to other related sites.

Microlabs Limited is an unswerving community laboratory. We have found creative ways to moderate fees and assist needy patients so that virtually no one is denied service. This will never change.

From a modest beginning of two staff members in 1974, today our staff has grown to 77 dedicated professional and support personnel. These loyal members continue to offer top quality service to communities island wide, consistent with our motto “working with you to help others."