PathCare is one of South Africa’s pioneers and most trusted providers of specialist pathology services, operating 24/7 across multiple depots and laboratories, and delivering a comprehensive range of services that include clinical, anatomical, and forensic diagnostics.
With an extensive footprint across the Gauteng, North-West, and Limpopo Provinces, PathCare plays a critical role in supporting healthcare diagnostics nationwide. As their operations expanded, ensuring consistent and secure surveillance across all locations became increasingly critical to safeguard staff, patients, and high-value medical assets.
Preventing unauthorised access
Challenges - As PathCare’s network expanded, ensuring reliable and centralised surveillance across all facilities became a crucial challenge.
Many laboratories still relied on outdated analogue CCTV systems, which suffered from poor reliability, limited scalability, and a lack of unified monitoring across sites. This created risks in multiple areas: some facilities had previously been targeted by burglary, robbery, and vandalism, while others struggled to enforce safety protocols by preventing unauthorised access to restricted laboratory zones.
Providing consistent monitoring
In addition, major operating procedures, from sample collection and dispatch to analysis and reporting required continuous oversight to ensure compliance, but the old systems could not provide consistent monitoring.
The lack of centralised visibility also made it difficult to track the movement of sensitive samples and reports, increasing the risk of loss or mismanagement. To address these issues, PathCare needed a cutting-edge and cost-effective security solution that provides centralised management, scalable deployment capability, and advanced features including an expanded coverage area and audio recording, in order to safeguard staff, patients, and assets across their growing national footprint.
Cost-effective scalability
The Solution - VIVOTEK, the global security solutions provider, partnered with local integrator Chase Networks and distributor Rectron to deliver a fully integrated security ecosystem.
The deployment included VSS Pro Video Management Software for centralised monitoring and multi-user role-based access, 49 NVRs to provide reliable distributed video storage, and 352 VIVOTEK Network Cameras. Among them, the compact 69-series domes with wide-angle coverage and built-in audio offered cost-effective scalability.
This solution provided PathCare with a centralised view of all facilities, simplifying monitoring of sensitive laboratory areas, ensuring SOP compliance during sample collection, dispatch, and analysis, and tracking key samples or reports. VSS Pro’s health monitoring and permission management addressed the limitations of analogue systems, while the compact cameras allowed for efficient large-scale deployment across multiple sites.
Advanced software ecosystem
VIVOTEK emerged as the preferred partner thanks to its proven product durability, advanced software ecosystem, and strong local support network. The Taiwanese-built VIVOTEK cameras provided superior image quality and long-term reliability, essential for PathCare’s continuous laboratory operations.
With VSS Pro, PathCare gained a flexible, scalable, and centralised management platform capable of supporting growth across numerous facilities while meeting strict compliance requirements. Extended warranties and dedicated after-sales support from Rectron ensured long-term stability, while Chase Networks’ expertise in deploying integrated networked surveillance added further confidence.
Future-proof surveillance system
Since deployment, PathCare has significantly enhanced its security and operational oversight. With VIVOTEK’s high-quality cameras, advanced VSS Pro monitoring, and responsive local support, PathCare now operates a future-proof surveillance system that protects valuable assets, enforces SOP compliance, and strengthens overall safety.
“Our company has been installing networked solutions with integrated surveillance systems for almost 20 years, and has yet to encounter a better brand and product offering in the market,” noted Chase Networks.