MCI urged to review stand over signing lab reports

New Delhi, July 5 (IANS) The National M.Sc. Medical Teachers' Association (NMMTA) on Wednesday urged the Medical Council of India (MCI) to review its notification that require the diagnostic laboratory reports to be signed by a doctor.

The NMMTA said India has shortage of specialist doctors to work in diagnostic laboratories and this deficiency can ably be compensated by the trained medical M.Sc. degree holders.

"The recent letter written by the Medical Council of India (MCI) to the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) regarding eligibility to sign diagnostic laboratory reports has not gone down well with the biomedical scientists possessing medical M.Sc. degree," NMMTA President Sridhar Rao said.

Currently, the document 112 of NABL provides authorised signatory roles for medical M.Sc. degree holders in the disciplines of microbiology and biochemistry.

"Apparently, under the pressure from non-clinical doctors, the NABL was pressurised to exclude non-doctors from this role. The NABL sought the MCI's opinion. After a delay of nearly three years, the MCI replied that all lab reports should be signed/counter-signed by persons registered with MCI/State Medical Councils," Rao said.

He said this is in "stark contrast" to its previous stand.

"In 2005, the members of the Ad hoc Committee appointed by the Supreme Court and of the Executive Committee of the MCI had approved the decision of the Ethics Committee that M.Sc. (Medical Biochemistry) is entitled to independently sign a medical biochemistry report in a clinical laboratory," he said.

Rao said the biomedical scientists are held in high esteem worldwide and allowed to sign reports.

The NMMTA said it would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Health Minister J.P. Nadda to "convince them the importance of biomedical scientists in the diagnostic laboratories".

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