Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope on Tuesday took cognisance of “unscrupulous pathology labs” across Mumbai region and the state, and announced a law was likely in three months under Bombay Nursing Homes Registrations Act to regulate operations of path labs and fix responsibility and stringent punishment for unscrupulous operators.
MUMBAI: Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope on Tuesday took cognisance of “unscrupulous pathology labs” across Mumbai region and the state, and announced a law was likely in three months under Bombay Nursing Homes Registrations Act to regulate operations of path labs and fix responsibility and stringent punishment for unscrupulous operators.
He was responding in the state legislative council after the issue was raised by Manisha Kayande .
She pointed out that there were 8,000 illegal path labs in the state and over 1,500 flourishing in Mumbai and neighbouring areas.
An 18-member committee will review the issue and submit a report in three months, he told the council. The panel was set up following allegations of pathology labs flouting rules, not having registered practitioners or MD to sign lab reports, and having outdated equipment.
Tope said that recently many private labs had come up across the state and there was a need to keep a check. “Some labs have old equipment which is not calibrated and may provide wrong information in reports. This is uncalled for,” he said.
He said that the state will make it mandatory for para-medical staff to be registered with the Maharashtra Medical Council . “The equipment in any lab for normal blood tests or advanced tests for cancer or histopathology needs to have proper calibration and cannot be outdated. Rates of pathology labs will also be reviewed,” he said.
“We have the Bombay Nursing Homes Registration Act, in which we can include a chapter to include regulations for pathology labs. We will bring an amendment to this Act to ensure that there is a law to regulate functioning of pathology labs and plan to do this in two months,” he said.
Kayande said there was an increase in “bogus” pathology labs in the state, especially during Covid-19 pandemic. Registrations of many labs were cancelled when they were found flouting rules, but this has not proved to be a deterrent. “Many labs are functioning without registered practitioners, technicians and experts and all they had was a Gumasta licence,” she alleged, saying this was dangerous as it involved the lives of people.
Tope said he consider suggestions for a ‘flying squad’.
