KOCHI: The Paramedical Council Bill, which could have ensured proper scrutiny of the test results issued by private clinical laboratories in the State, is yet to get the government’s green signal to be made a law.
The tests being conducted at private clinical laboratories are yet to be standardised. Around 1,000 laboratories are functioning in the State, and 70 per cent of the diagnosis is done on the basis of the test results issued by them.
The Medical Laboratory Owners’ Association submitted memorandums to the government several times, urging it to enact a law for the functioning of the private clinical laboratories. Now, anybody can start a clinical laboratory if the respective local body issues a licence for it. Association State president Dr T A Varkey said that the Paramedical Council Bill should be presented in the Assembly for the implementation of the government’s ‘Safe Kerala’ programme. Though the Health Department has started inspecting the laboratories to ensure quality it is not sufficient to confirm that the results issued by them are genuine.
“If the Bill becomes a law, a laboratory could function only with a licence from the respective local body and registration from the Paramedical Council. When the procedures are completed, guidelines will be framed for the functioning of laboratories,” Varkey said.
Rather than conducting surprise inspections at laboratories, implementation of proper guidelines will ensure quality of the test results. As far as the eligibility of the lab technicians is concerned, there is no sufficient persons who have done the relevant course from government institutions.
According to Varkey, technicians who have experience for a stipulated period should be allowed to register in a registration authority, so that they will not lose their jobs when the Bill becomes a law. There are around 90,000 lab technicians working in various laboratories, and 90 per cent of them comprises women.
The majority of the employees have studied in private institutions, and their certificates are not recognised by the government.
Recently, the Medical Laboratory Owners’ Association initiated quality-assurance programmes like the Clinical Laboratory Improving Programme and Medical Laboratory Technicians Refresher Training Programme.
V S Sunil Kumar, former member of the Health and Family Welfare Committee, said that the issue of the Bill was discussed several times.
“When the Bill comes into force, there is a possibility of multi-nationals entering the scene, resulting in loss of employment for those currently operating in the sector. So, several issues have to be addressed before the guidelines are framed, and the Bill is made a law,” he added.