Shifa Clinical Lab

Over here at Shifa Clinical Lab in Kanhiram, Pottasseri, things stay pretty busy in a quiet, steady way. We aren't a doctor’s office where people come to talk about their symptoms; we mostly handle the testing and the samples that people bring in from other places in the area. The lab is filled with various machines and lots of glass tubes. We try our best to keep everything very organized, but with so many papers and samples coming in every morning, the main desk usually looks like a bit of a mess by noon. Pottasseri is a nice, calm place to work. It’s got a very different feel than the labs in the bigger cities. We know most of the families around here, and we see them whenever they need their regular blood checks or other tests done. The building we’re in is on the older side, so the pipes sometimes make a clanking sound when the water runs in the back. We have a small area near the front door where people can sit while we get things ready for them. We don't have a big neon sign outside, just a small painted one so people don't miss the turn-off. Most of our work is done in the back room under the bright fluorescent lights. It can be tedious work, looking at slides and writing down long rows of numbers, but it’s what we do. We don't use any fancy software; we just make sure we double-check everything by hand.