Watch as the team at National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) Sebokeng shares how the right technology, backed by the right workflows, has helped them power the moments that matter for their laboratory, their organization, and the communities they serve.
Established in 2001, the NHLS is a center of excellence for innovative laboratory and clinical medicine in South Africa. Through its country-wide network of quality-assured diagnostic laboratories, the NHLS is the sole provider of diagnostic pathology services to over 80% of the South African population. The Laboratory Support Services (LSS) team at NHLS Sebokeng in Gauteng processes 4,000 to 5,000 samples per day, 3,500 of which are chemistry and immunoassay samples.
Previously, the LSS team in Gauteng relied on older equipment to process the many samples they received every day. With manual processes and often inefficient workflows, the older equipment struggled to keep pace with the lab’s growing testing demands.
In 2024, the lab implemented the DxA 5000 Total Lab Automation System. This powerful system has empowered the LSS team to lean into our philosophy of Advantaged Workflows—workflows that combine the right technology, services, and expertise to accelerate precise decision-making from sample collection to diagnostic insight.
The LSS team has a target to turn around all results within eight hours of sample receipt. Before using the DxA 5000 system, they met this target ~69% of the time.
“With the DxA 5000 [system], things are much more easy and life is so beautiful,” laughs Lerato Seheshe, LSS Supervisor. “Our turnaround time has dramatically improved from 69% to 98%* delivery on our eight-hour target… It can prioritize agent samples and process them automatically, so the results are out in [what seems like] no time.”
The LSS team’s target rejection rate is 3%. Previously, the team often faced sample integrity issues or delays that necessitated re-draws, impacting patient care and efficiency. Since implementing the DxA 5000 system, they have exceeded this target—reducing rejection rates to just 2.5%*.
“With our old laboratory system, the challenge was it couldn't detect the [sufficiency or integrity] of the sample,” says Joseph Rasenyalo, Technician. “Now, automatically, it will spin the samples, check the insufficient samples, and aliquot [them]. And it helps us in terms of not re-drawing blood.”
The DxA 5000 system has significantly impacted resources relating to pre-analytical work.
“The automation, including automatic loading and the ability to easily re-run samples, has made a substantial difference in [our team’s] daily workload, allowing them to focus on important morning tasks without backlogs from the previous shift,” says Dimakatso Radebe, Laboratory Manager. “We've even increased our night LSS staff shift from three to five to help clear work overnight, which is a direct benefit of having such an efficient system."
The DxA 5000 system has also helped the lab offer more types of in-house testing.
“We have been able to increase our testing profile and bring more tests in house, expanding beyond our prior profile of U&E, LFT, Glucose, CMP, and Iron. This allows us to offer more comprehensive diagnostics directly from our lab,” says Radebe.
The NHLS runs community awareness campaigns (e.g., tuberculosis testing) several times a year. With the DxA 5000 system delivering fast, reliable results, the LSS team can do even more to support this important community outreach.
“With the DxA 5000 system ... we can handle higher volumes from these outreach events, helping clinics manage patient health and disease states much more [efficiently], ensuring these campaigns are even more impactful,” says Radebe.
The dedicated team at Sebokeng is made up of 10 qualified technologists, 1 technician, 2 supervisors, 10 lab support staff, a messenger, 4 phlebotomists, and 1 admin staff member. According to Radebe, their partnership with Beckman Coulter has significantly boosted morale.
“They now enjoy more time managing critical tasks like result validation and QC monitoring, rather than being bogged down by manual pre-analytical work.”
“I care about my community, and they need to know their results. That’s why I like this profession. With the DxA 5000 system, we have improved our turnaround times, reduced rejection rates, and been able to give doctors accurate results on time. That is our advantage"
The team at NHLS Sebokeng has leveraged the DxA 5000 system to help them power more efficient and effective workflows, so they can power more of what matters to them.
“Advantaged Workflows, like those provided by the DxA 5000, empower us,” says Radebe. “This means we can achieve significant pre-analytical efficiencies, which has a ripple effect. For example, automatic loading and the ability to rerun or reflex tests without searching for samples greatly reduces manual workload. This efficiency frees up staff time, allows us to process all daily work with minimal backlogs, and ultimately ensures timely and accurate diagnostic services for both our organization's operational goals and the critical health needs of our community."
*The numbers provided in this study are specific to this site, and results may vary from other sites, analyzers, and individual circumstances and applications.
2025-14865
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