A petition before the Delhi High Court has sought urgent implementation of the government’s Health Bill, 2019, or the Delhi Clinical Establishment Act, 2010, alleging that unauthorised pathological laboratories are running here without any checks and balances.
Consumer rights activist Bejon Kumar Misra has contended that operations of illegal and unauthorised labs would endanger the lives of people.
Mr. Misra, in his plea filed through advocate Shashank Deo Sudhi, has alleged that the government “has not made any effort towards the regulation of illegal pathological laboratories/diagnostic centres being run illegally, which do not meet the norms and without having qualified pathologists”.
It stated that the High Court in 2018, had directed the government to take appropriate steps in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court to contain illegal and unauthorised labs, but no steps have been taken by the authorities. According to the National Accreditation Board for Laboratories and Calibration (NABL), there are 1,000 diagnostic laboratories, out of which only 10% are NABL accredited, the plea said.
“Therefore, an immediate and urgent regulation is required to regulate the illegal pathological laboratories/diagnostic centres,” it has said.
The application has been filed in a petition moved by Mr. Misra in 2018 seeking closure of the unauthorised pathological labs and diagnostic centres in Delhi.