NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Thursday issued a notice to Delhi government on a plea seeking closure of unauthorised pathological and diagnostic centers being run by unqualified lab technicians.
The division bench
comprising Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice VK Rao was hearing a PIL filed by Bejon Misra, a consumer affairs activist and founder of Partnership for Safe Medicines India (PSM).
Along with the closure of unauthorised pathological and diagnostic centers, Misra has also sought formulation of policy that regulates the
operations of pathological labs and standardisation of diagnostic equipment used in the labs in Delhi.
He further pleaded that lawmakers must frame guidelines for proper implementation of the Clinical Establishment Act (Registration Regulation Act, 2010), as irregularities in the implementation have led to an rise in unauthorised labs run by unqualified lab technicians.
"A small error in the diagnostic technique or error in the test report could prove life-threatening for the patient, as he may be exposed to wrong treatment based on the erroneous report, his petition stated.
The petitioner also alleged that such labs were not just conducting tests without improperly trained technicians, but were also providing inaccurate inferences in the test report which placed the patients at grave risk.
The plea also claimed that the number of illegal labs, growing across the Capital, could be easily pinned at around 25,000. It further pointed out that the city government has lapsed in enforcing a mechanism or procedure to shut down and curb the menace of such illegal labs.