WASHINGTON (TIP): An eminent American university has signed an agreement to create a world class clinical pathology laboratory in the south Indian city of Hyderabad, as part of its effort to raise the health care standards in the country to the highest levels. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, in a statement yesterday, said it is collaborating with the Citizens Hospital to establish a clinical pathology laboratory on the 10.5-acre campus in Hyderabad, to serve the population of more than seven million people in the metropolis.

Operating under the name AmPath, the lab initially is serving the Citizens Healthcare Campus, which has opened its first phase in August, including a dedicated oncology facility. When fully operational in 2015, the hospital will include more than 650 patient rooms and offer the entire spectrum of health care services, the university said. UPMC will help the lab expand its capabilities, including the addition of increasingly complex molecular diagnostic testing modalities.

The facility is expected to become a reference lab serving patients throughout all of India, as well as the Middle East and Southeast Asia, the statement said. “Advisory Services provides our clinical partners with access to a wide-ranging portfolio of UPMC’s expertise, based on its position as one of the nation’s most acclaimed and technologically sophisticated health care networks,” said David Russell, who is leading the new group.

UPMC’s international footprint already includes operations or services in Italy, Ireland, China, Singapore and Japan.