PATNA: The Patna high court on Thursday issued an interim order to shut down all the 1500-odd pathological laboratories running in violation of prescribed norms in Patna and 17 others districts of Bihar.
A division bench of Chief Justice M R Shah and Justice Ravi Ranjan, while hearing two PILs filed by the Indian Association of Pathologists and Microbiologists and one Ram Krishna Mistri, also directed the principal secretary (health) to ensure all such laboratories downed their shutters within two weeks.
The state government, during an earlier hearing, had submitted a counter affidavit, saying 713 pathological laboratories were running illegally in Patna, Bhagalpur, East Champaran, Katihar, Saharsa, Bhojpur, Vaishali and
Darbhanga. On Thursday, details of ten more districts were submitted in the court by the state health department.
“Nobody can be permitted to play with the health of a citizen. The right to health/better health is a fundamental right,” the bench had observed during a hearing on August 21.
Association’s counsel Mohammad Shamimul Hoda said all these laboratories were running in violation of the Clinical Establishment Act, 2010, and guidelines of the Medical Council of India (MCI).
According to the MCI guidelines, only an MD in Pathology can run a pathological laboratory and countersign test reports. A Supreme Court’s direction also says that MBBS doctors or laboratory technicians cannot run such a lab or countersign pathological test reports, sources said.
“The illegality is not only related to illegal laboratories. We will further take up the matter of all private and government blood banks and hospitals etc,” Hoda said.
Picture used for representational purpose
