Blood Banking
The Blood Bank Section of the Department of Laboratories supplies blood and its components to the hospital. It is capable of separating components to maximize the use of available blood. Stocks are maintained through a program of blood replacement, wherein relatives or friends can donate blood of whatever blood type in exchanged for type-specific blood required by their patients. Stocks are augmented by accepting walk-in blood donors and involvement in regular blood-letting sessions organized by civic-minded societies and organizations. To exclude blood with blood-borne infections, the section performs routine blood examinations such as blood typing, cross-matching, basic serological procedures, and malarial smears.
It is envisioned that the section will be able to supply the needed blood and components of PGH and surplus blood components be given for a fee to other hospitals to offset the ever increasing cost of maintaining a blood bank and thus be self-sufficient in the very near future.
Clinical Chemistry
The Section of Clinical Chemistry performs routine and special tests to evaluate renal, hepatic, cardiac, and total body function. It also aims to deliver these results with utmost precision and accuracy. This section is fully automated.
Clinical Microbiology
The Section of Clinical Microbiology handles specimens evaluated for infectious agents. It is in charge of culture and sensitivity tests and gram- and acid-fast stains of body fluids. It is instrumental in the evaluation and management of hospital outbreaks of nosocomial infections. While microbiology can never be fully automated, it boasts of several state-of-the-art machines such as the BacT/Alert. In the near future, it will be capable of culturing viruses.
Clinical Microscopy
The Section of Clinical Microscopy is in charge of examination of specimens from the urine, stools, and body fluids. It is also in charge of fecalysis, semenalysis, stone analysis, and pregnancy tests.
Hematology
The Section of Hematology performs routine and special tests to evaluate the blood and the bone marrow. The section is fully automated, and manual examinations are done only in instances where evaluation of peripheral smear morphology is warranted. Bone marrow specimens are evaluated by hematopathologists Dr. Januario D. Veloso, and Dr. Arvin C. Faundo.
Immunopathology
The Section of Immunopathology performs basic serological procedures like ASO, CRP, RPR, and RF.
Surgical Pathology
This section is in charge of the processing and interpretation of surgical specimens, which include frozen section, cytology, Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsies (FNAB's), and other tissues for routine processing. Routine tissue processing services currently offered include special stains and immunohistochemical stains.
