Dr Sujata Mitra scans a patient at Tata Main Hospital’s nuclear medicine department last month. Picture by Bhola Prasad

The results of your medical tests are the key for your doctor to unlock the mystery of your health.

And everyone knows that speedy test results mean quick diagnosis that starts treatment. This is where Tata Main Hospital (TMH), Jamshedpur, can help.

The nuclear medicine department of TMH conducts specialised blood tests — which the hospital claims can’t be done anywhere else in the state — and gives reports of the results the very next day.

These include tests related to hormone disorders for thyroid, fertility and diabetes. The nuclear medicine department comes as a boon for patients of ovarian, stomach and prostrate cancer, who must get their tumour markers — special blood tests to check for recurrence — done regularly.

All these blood test reports are available at TMH nuclear medicine department the very next day.

“As of now, we are the only centre in the state to have this facility for specialised blood tests, which is why we can give reports the next day. Most pathological labs elsewhere in the state send samples for tests to metros, which is why results are available after three or four days,” said Dr Sujata Mitra, TMH senior specialist and head of nuclear medicine department.

Quick results apart, Mitra explained the other benefits. “Apart from the delayed diagnosis, transport and handling affect the quality of blood to a certain extent. This is avoided at our centre.”

But even though the department conducts around 10 nuclear medicine scans and nearly 400 blood tests daily, Mitra pointed out a surprising problem.

“Unfortunately, not too many health centres in Jharkhand are aware of our facility,” she said.

To redress this, a team from the nuclear medicine department will visit different cities across the state to interface with physicians and clinic/hospital owners and inform them about the advanced tests conducted at their centre through the automated chemiluminescence processor.

“In the first phase in September, our teams will visit health centres and hold talks with physicians in Ranchi, Dhanbad and Bokaro. Gradually, we will interact with doctors and health centres in Hazaribagh, Ramgarh and other districts,” Mitra said.

Bharat Ratna JRD Tata established the nuclear medicine department at TMH in 1992. The department helps out clinical departments of the hospital as well as other health hubs in Jamshedpur and elsewhere with a wide range of medical investigations such as myocardial perfusion scans; renal, bone and thyroid scans; blood tests for hormonal imbalances; viral diseases and tumour markers.

The lab of nuclear medicine is accredited to National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), an autonomous body under the aegis of department of science and technology, Government of India. External Quality Assurance Service (EQAS), which compares lab reports from across the world, assesses the department’s performance and sends a monthly report.