Rapid technological advancements and innovations have been assisting the healthcare sector to improve by leaps and bounds over the years. This coupled with the unrelenting commitment of healthcare professionals to work around the clock to help those in need have resulted in the overall improvement of patient care. Dr. Arundhati Agarwal who currently holds the office of Managing Director at Precision Path Lab is one such pioneering healthcare professional. Starting its operations in 2012, Precision Path Lab has been able to make impressive strides in the market and create a niche for itself. Owing to its commitment for consistent development, it has been able to steadily build its reputation and credibility while still expanding its service portfolio which currently includes pathology testing, oncopathology, infectious pathology, molecular and immunopathology. In an exclusive interview with Women Entrepreneur, Dr. Arundhati Agarwal talks more about her entrepreneurial journey and how she is aiming to improve patient care.

Can you talk more about your educational background and what motivated you to venture into the healthcare space?

For me, becoming a doctor was not something that I planned in advance. I loved science and went through the highly competitive entrance exams. I did my MBBS from Government Medical College, Miraj. During that time, I wanted to be a surgeon. Once I got into MD, Pathology at Indira Gandhi Government medical college, Nagpur and got to learn more about this field, it piqued my interest even more. I stated to love pathology. Later, I underwent training through different branches of pathology and knew that Histopathology, specifically oncopathology was what I found most challenging and interesting. I decided to pursue my career in oncopathology and following my MD, I did specialized training for three years in oncopathology to learn the different aspects in surgical pathology and cytology along with immunohistochemistry. I took my baby steps in the world of Oncopathology at Hinduja Hospital, Mumbai. After that, I did my training in cytology from Tata Memorial Hospital later, I trained at SRL Diagnostics in Mumbai, under Dr Anita Borges specifically for Oncopathology and immunohistochemistry. The variety of cases I saw there gave me a huge platform and confidence to be where I am today.

All the treatment a patient gets depends on the diagnosis the pathologist gives. So, after I moved to Jaipur, my pathologist husband and me decided to combine our technical knowledge and entrepreneurial skills, and established Precision Path Lab. He was the one who motivated me to start our own practice.

What are some of the critical challenges you faced in your journey?

Highlighting the role of a pathologist in the minds of both patients and the referring clinical physicians is something that we struggle with. We want to let people know that it is not just about machines generating reports. The brains behind the machines are more important. The interpretation of the results generated by the machines, correlating that with symptoms and coming to a diagnosis is what a pathologist does. To bring more awareness on this topic, we encourage patients to communicate with us directly, discuss their reports and we regularly engage with the public through various awareness campaigns.

What are the key milestones you have achieved in your career? Also, what is your success mantra?

By 2015, we have achieved complete automation in the lab and we went for the ISO 15189 NABL Accreditation in 2016. We also gradually expanded our test menu and improved the patient care services. Over the years, we also established multiple collection centers. In 2020, we were one of the first private labs to start molecular pathology and RTPCR labs in Jaipur and around the same time we also advanced our oncopatholgy division by starting with immunohistochemistry and intraoperative frozen sections. Going forward, we are planning to expand our outreach by tying-up with subject matter experts from other fields and bringing the best people on one platform to deliver quality reports to patients. When it comes to our success mantra, we believe that maintaining highest standards of quality is of utmost importance. To ensure that, we train our staff to respect each specimen or sample, inculcate empathy in our staff, engage in quality practices and ensure effective communication to offer best in class patient care consistently.

What advice would you give to budding women entrepreneurs?

What women need to do is dream big and create a support system for themselves. I think women are task masters and are better at getting things done while maintaining a humane touch. They should focus on never to lose their drive. Being persistent is crucial and try to learn from your mistakes to reach for greater heights.

Dr. Arundhati Agarwal, Managing Director, Precision Path Lab

A pioneering professional with a passion for consistent improvement and constant learning. Through this, she aspires to improve patient care and be a catalyst of positive change in the healthcare space.