The North Estonia Medical Centre laboratory is one of the largest hospital laboratories in Estonia. The laboratory conducts trials in all primary fields of laboratory medicine. Nearly 800 specific tests are available and in 2021, some 3.8 million of them were conducted. The laboratory has a staff of 146.
Departments
- clinical chemistry and haematology department (around the clock)
- clinical immunology department (also includes a stem cell laboratory)
- microbiology department (also includes a mycobacteriology laboratory)
- blood bank (operates around the clock)
- measurement laboratory, established in 2012 to measure personal doses absorbed by radiology workers at the Medical Centre
The Medical Centre’s laboratory was accredited in 2010 pursuant to the EVS-EN ISO 15189:2008 standard, “Medical laboratories. Particular requirements for quality and competence.” The stem cell laboratory has been issued a State Agency of Medicines activity licence.
We are the only hospital lab in northern Estonia to conduct tests in the field of specific clotting factors, platelet function testing and tuberculosis. We also study cell surface antigens in haematological patients and collect and store peripheral blood stem cells.
The hospital uses an electronic system to order laboratory tests. In 2014, the laboratory will become the first in the Baltics to introduce automatic chemical, immunological and clotting analysis machines and automate pre-test procedures.
The primary research conducted at the laboratory has been related to multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, and platelet function testing and quality indicators in the medical lab. We supervise bioanalytics students at the Tartu Health Care College, Tallinn University of Technology mathematics and nature faculty gene technology students and University of Tartu residents in laboratory medicine and other fields.
We have engaged n international cooperation primarily with Nordic laboratories and organizations. The stem cell lab has worked with the Sahlgrenska Hospital lab in Gothenburg, and the immunology laboratory takes part in the work of the Nordic Society of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology. A twinning project with Helsinki University Central Hospital is about to start. Students and colleges from Lithuania, Finland, Italy, Austria, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan have studied at the North Estonia Medical Centre.
We want to be good partners for our colleagues in detecting and treating disease as well as in conducting training and research.
