History of Department of Clinical Pathology

The Department of Clinical Pathology,  previously a division of the Department of Pathology, initially consisted of 3 units : hemotology, coagulation and serology,  Teaching the third-year medical students, mainly in the field of hematology, and doing research were the principle task of medical staffs during the year 1981 throught 1984.  In order to efficiently increased the number of physicians specialized in Clinical Pathology and to take the first step for developing Clinical Pathology as department, several action plans and objective goals had bee developed by staff members under the leadership of Professor Doctor Phumara Talalak.  O April 1, 1989, “Clinical Pathology” was officially established as “department” announced in the Government Gazette, with Professor Talalak as the first director.  Associate Professor Doctor Chokchai Sittapairoj and Associate Professor Doctor Benjawan Rungpitarangsri were director of the department between 1992 – 2998 and 1998 – 2002, respectively,  Under the initiation of Associate Professor Rungpitarangsri, the Thai Association of Clinical Pathology was established in 2001.

In the early 1990s, the Department of Clinical Pathology was divided into 5 divisions, namely the division of hematology,  hemostasis, serology, clinical microscopy and clinical chemistry.  Initially, the department had the responsibility for laboratory service only for the hospitalized patients.  The expanding services in subsequent years included the opening of laboratory service for out-patients in 1997, first at the out-patients building room 101, which later has been moved to room 108 in 2001.  In 1999, the office of the department was placed at the new blilding ‘ Adulyadejvikrom’, floor 10, which at present also serves as our research laboratory.

In line and along with the policy of the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital in achieving ‘Hospital Accreditation’, the Department of Clinical Pathology was the first that has organized several workshops and seminars between 1999 and 2001, with the vision of ‘Moving energertic together forward with smiling and friendly faces and the willingness for the betterment’.  In 2001, the department received ‘ Laboratory Accreditation’ from The’Royal College of Pathologist of Thailand’, the same year at which the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital has received ‘ Hospital Accreditation’.

During the past 5 years since 2002, under the directorship of Associate Professor Doctor Nisarat Opartkiattikul, and with full support from the Faculty of Medicine, the department has made considerable progresses both quantitatively and qualitatively : highly sophisticated and fully-automated equipments were introduced and all equipments were connected with the ‘ Laboratory Information System (LIS)’.

At present, the ultra-structure of the department has undergone several revisions and new forming units has been established : the offfice of the department and those for education and research.  The newly forming office for quality and efficiency control is responsible for 2 laboratory subunits, namely the central laboratory as well as the laboratory for special services.  With the receipt of ISO 15189 in 2005, the Department of Clinical Pathology has attained laboratory accreditation at a high international standard level.