Our Services
Research & Development
The Wits DIH R&D team supports innovators throughout the entire product development journey, collaborating closely with developers and manufacturers from initial design to real-world implementation.
Our expertise covers a broad range of diagnostic solutions, including self-collection and self-testing options, point-of-care technologies, laboratory platforms, high-throughput lab solutions, and digital health tools, all aimed at improving healthcare delivery in the public sector. We assist in optimising specimen collection and pre-processing, conducting primary lab evaluations, and offering feedback for design improvements when needed. Through clinical trials, we gather real-world data on feasibility and usability, ensuring technologies are effective in everyday clinical settings. Based on these results, we provide recommendations to guide national adoption and implementation. By offering hands-on support from concept to clinic, we help transform innovative ideas into practical healthcare solutions.
Digital Health Technologies, Data Hosting, and Advanced Analytics
Optimising the Pathology Value Chain Through Digital Innovation
Under our Digital Health and Information Technology pillar, Wits DIH leads the way in driving digital innovations that enhance the pathology value chain, improving patient care and treatment. These optimisations include streamlined workflows, remote monitoring and reporting, real-time messaging and alerts for targeted interventions, and seamless integration with legacy systems.
Our success stems from strong partnerships with Ministries of Health, donors, technology providers, clinical experts, and local implementation teams.
At the core of our digital health initiatives is a commitment to human-centered design. By placing end-users at the heart of our development process, we co-create solutions that address real-world challenges. Through direct engagement with healthcare workers, patients, and public health professionals, we gain critical insights into their unique environments and needs.
Using iterative design cycles, we test, refine, and evolve our solutions to ensure they are intuitive, effective, culturally relevant, and adaptable. This collaborative approach fosters ownership, drives sustainable adoption, and delivers meaningful, lasting improvements to health systems and outcomes.
One of our flagship innovations, eLABS, has been successfully scaled across 3,500 healthcare facilities, benefiting over 28,700 healthcare workers and 1,200 courier drivers in South Africa and Zambia. Fully integrated with TrakCare and DISA*LAB, eLABS supports bi-directional data flow and is currently being adapted to facilitate self-sampling and clinical trials, expanding its impact even further.
Through these initiatives, we continue to harness technology to transform healthcare delivery and empower systems to achieve better health outcomes for all.
Implementation Science
Focusing on national and regional health priorities, we optimise laboratory services from pre- to post-analytics. Our support includes operational management, technical training, and policy change to enhance the clinical-laboratory interface.
Health Technology Assessments (HTAs)
We provide comprehensive evaluations of medical diagnostic technologies, ensuring their effectiveness and relevance. Our HTA process supports informed decision-making among industry partners, healthcare providers, and policymakers, ultimately improving patient outcomes.
Clinical Trials Support
We offer accredited diagnostic services to local and international clients, providing laboratory support for clinical trials across various specialties, including chemistry, haematology, and microbiology.