A PhD in Medical Microbiology or Medical Biochemistry shall be required for Medium & Advanced Laboratories. Representational Image/ pixabay
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has notified that professionals with an MSc degree in Medical Microbiology or Medical Biochemistry with three years of laboratory experience could now become an authorised signatory in a diagnostic laboratory for tests respective to their specialization without recording any opinion or interpretation of lab results.
A PhD in Medical Microbiology or Medical Biochemistry shall be required for Medium & Advanced Laboratories. The notification came after the Board of Governors of MCI communicated its decision regarding the role of an authorised signatory to the ministry.
Welcoming the move, Dr Sridhar Rao, President, National M.Sc Medical Teachers’ Association said, “Clinical scientists signing laboratory reports is practiced all over the world, including the US, the UK, the European Union, Middle East countries, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Nepal etc. In fact, the West Bengal government had included the clinical scientists in its Clinical Establishments Act guidelines. With the Union government clearing the way, the rest of the states must adopt these guidelines.”
“Since the knowledge and skills regarding the techniques used in the laboratory tests are acquired in the postgraduate course (Medical M.Sc) itself and the fact that Ph.D. doesn’t confer any additional knowledge or skill in routine diagnostics, the requirement of Ph.D. for medium and advanced laboratories may be omitted,” said Arjun Maitra, Secretary, National MSc Medical Teachers’ Association.
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