Too sick to leave bed for tests? Call Amar Lab

Akhlima Akter, an elderly schoolteacher, was stunned when she first heard of Amar Lab — right when she was in dire straits, desperately needing such a service.

A colleague mentioned the name while she was lying in bed for four straight days, gripped by fever and wracked with pain, each hour seeming to drain more strength from her body.

Akhlima lives in Dhaka with her husband—their children far away, living overseas. In that quiet, feverish apartment, the couple felt quietly overwhelmed.

A doctor friend urged her to get some tests done. But Akhlima could barely sit up, let alone make a trip to a diagnostic centre — not to mention the hassles that might come with the visit.

Frustrated and uncertain, she began reaching out — calling friends, asking for advice, hoping for a solution. 

Then came the name of Amar Lab. A service, her colleague said, that would bring the diagnostic lab to her home.

Lab tests from the comfort of home

With Amar Lab, getting tests done was surprisingly simple. All Akhlima had to do was call the service, specify the tests she needed, and share her home address. 

A trained health worker soon arrived at her door, collected her samples, and left. The only charge beyond the cost of the tests was a nominal service fee of Tk200.

Even more impressive was the turnaround time. Test results were delivered within 24 hours, either via email, WhatsApp, or SMS. If needed, a printed copy could also be delivered to the patient's doorstep.

For elderly patients like Akhlima, this service has been nothing short of a blessing. A glance at the comments section of Amar Lab's Facebook page reveals countless stories of gratitude. 

But it's not just senior citizens who are finding relief — Amar Lab is rapidly becoming a trusted name for thousands across the country.

In fact, many expectant mothers are now opting for Amar Lab's home testing service instead of visiting traditional diagnostic centres. 

With safety, convenience, and speed, the service is quietly reshaping the country's approach to healthcare — one doorstep at a time.

The man behind the idea

At its core, Amar Lab brings healthcare to people's homes — collecting diagnostic samples based on individual needs and delivering results swiftly. In a city as hectic as Dhaka, it has become a lifeline for the elderly, the ill, and those living alone.

Fittingly, the story of Amar Lab began with another story of illness — one that hit close to home for its founder, Tazin Shadid.

A software engineer by training, Tazin left Bangladesh after his higher secondary education to study in the United States. He earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees in Computer Science from the University of North Texas. 

In 2005, he landed a coveted job at Microsoft, where he worked in communication and product innovation. Life was moving along a dream-like path.

Then, in 2007, came a turning point. His mother was diagnosed with cancer.

Though working thousands of miles away, Tazin had to navigate the maze of Bangladesh's complex and often frustrating healthcare system to ensure his mother received the care she needed. 

The endless appointments, the logistical challenges, the emotional toll — it all weighed heavily on him.

His mother eventually recovered, but the experience left a deep impression. 

It made him question how ordinary families, with fewer resources or less support, managed such situations. The answer was often painful.

But as the saying goes, from suffering comes a solution. That personal crisis planted the seed of an idea in Tazin's mind — a commitment to make healthcare simpler, more accessible, and closer to home for everyone in Bangladesh.

Simple, affordable, and hassle-free

Tazin couldn't help but think—if his own mother faced such hurdles, how much worse must it be for the poor? And even after all the struggle, proper care was never guaranteed.

With that in mind, Tazin founded a non-profit organisation called the Spreeha Foundation. From this small foundation, he began providing healthcare services to underprivileged people living in Dhaka's slums.

It was January 2008. The dream began with a small clinic in a slum in Mohammadpur, Dhaka. Tazin's friend, Dr Ishtique Zahid, joined as the clinic's first doctor.

At the time, Tazin was still living in the US and used to manage the clinic's operations remotely.

In October 2016, he left his job at Microsoft and returned to Bangladesh permanently.

While Spreeha was growing, so was Tazin's vision.

In the following year, 2017, he partnered with two young associates — Dr Ishtique Zahid and Sabbir Amin — to launch the country's first digital health startup, Amar Lab.

Their goal was simple—ensure easy, affordable, and hassle-free healthcare for all.

What kind of tests does Amar Lab do — and how?

Tazin Shadid's vision was clear — to build a service powered by technology that could solve real-life problems. 

He told TBS, "Standing in long queues at hospitals, going back and forth to collect reports — it's all exhausting. It wastes time and money. But with the help of technology, the process can be made much easier."

Amar Lab is doing exactly that. Through this platform, customers can choose their preferred diagnostic centres.

After registration, trained medical technologists visit the customer's home or office to collect samples. The test results are then sent to the customer's mobile via SMS, WhatsApp, or email.

Currently, they have partnerships with around 92 labs. Some of the well-known names include: Popular Diagnostic Centre (all branches), Ibn Sina, United Hospital, Medinova, Islami Bank Hospital, and BIRDEM.

Another noteworthy aspect is that Amar Lab is the "exclusive provider" for BIRDEM. This means they can perform all of BIRDEM's tests from a customer's home — saving both time and cost.

Amar Lab conducts over 600 tests daily. Among the most common are: Blood sugar tests, CBC (Complete Blood Count), Dengue tests, Lipid profile, Vitamin D tests, HbA1c (Hemoglobin A1C), RBS (Random Blood Sugar) and ECGs.

In short, blood, urine, stool, and ECG — all types of pathological tests can now be done from home through this platform.

Currently serving Dhaka, eyeing expansion

For now, the service is available only in Dhaka. There are efforts to launch it on a limited scale in Chattogram as well.

Tazin hopes to expand the service across Bangladesh in the future.

In just four years, over 50,000 people have used Amar Lab.

"Our greatest satisfaction," Tazin says, "is that once someone uses our service, they tend to keep coming back. They develop full trust in us once they see the quality. After just one experience, they realise how easy it is."

He also notes that Amar Lab earns its revenue not from customers, but from partner labs, so customers don't have to pay any extra fees for the service.

Not an easy beginning 

Launching a digital health service in Bangladesh wasn't easy.

Tazin says, "Unlike typical deliveries at the door, we work inside homes. Gaining people's trust by ensuring health safety was our first challenge."

Starting small in 2017, the biggest hurdle was transporting samples safely.

"There was no specific technology to handle samples amid traffic jams and temperature concerns. To solve this, we partnered with the Netherlands government to develop our transportation system," he explained.

He also faced resistance from medical technologists who weren't used to home visits. Some even dismissed the work as a "delivery man's job" and refused to participate.

Building trust, growing reach

But Tazin is not one to give up. Despite early obstacles, he quickly overcame them. 

The service steadily expanded, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, when its importance became even clearer.

Trust grew gradually, and so did the number of customers. All information is available on the organisation's Facebook page and website. 

Customers can book tests by phone or message, specifying the health check they need, and the service promptly arrives at their doorstep.

Tazin Shadid says, "We have been largely successful, and I believe millions will use this service in the days to come."