18/12/2025
When Time Becomes Hope: Reimagining Diagnostics in Africa
At The Pathology Network (TPN), we exist to do good by making timely, reliable diagnostics accessible across Africa.
We believe every minute matters. Diagnostics must work seamlessly, across hospitals, laboratories and pathologists, so that clinicians can make informed decisions and patients can receive the right care, at the right time.
Yet across much of Africa, diagnostics remain fragmented. A shortage of pathologists, coupled with weak coordination, communication gaps, and limited standardisation, often leads to delays that directly affect patient outcomes.
One of our partner hospitals, Cottolengo Mission Hospital in rural Kenya, shared a case that reflects why this work matters.
A young boy from a disadvantaged background who lived with his grandmother, arrived at Cottolengo Mission Hospital with a rare bone cancer. He was critically ill and required multiple specialised diagnostic tests within a very short window to determine viable treatment options. "This child was almost dying," recalls Eric Muthomi, the hospital's Assistant Medical Director.
Before Cottolengo was onboarded onto TPN's diagnostic coordination network, such cases often took weeks, sometimes over a month, to resolve diagnostically. With our diagnostic network, the hospital received results in days, not weeks.
Time became hope. The confirmed diagnosis made it possible for the child to be transferred to Italy, for a life-saving bone transplant. Today, he is thriving.
"No one knew it could be possible," Eric says. "Even some of the consultants here had expressed their doubt."
This is why we do what we do.
By connecting mission hospitals like Cottolengo to a coordinated diagnostic ecosystem, we're not just improving turnaround times. We are transforming what is possible for patient care across Africa.
Read the full story here: https://zurl.co/hxESR
