Hyderabad: The Clinical Establishment Act adopted by the Telangana State government requires all doctors attached to diagnostic laboratories to be registered with the Medical Council of India (MCI) and the State Medical Council (SMC). It also stipulates that MSc graduates cannot sign the diagnostic reports and only qualified doctors must do so.
At present, the practice is that even though there are doctors attached to the diagnostic centres, the actual interpretation of the reports is done by the technicians or MSc graduates.
There are 60,000 pathology laboratories in India. In Hyderabad, blood samples are collected at local centres but the pathological testing is carried out in the main centre which may be in Bengaluru or Mumbai and the results are given the next day.
D. Sampat, who is in charge of a leading diagnostic centre, says only a qualified doctor in microbiology must interpret the results; this cannot be left to a post-graduate who has not studied medicine.
“Accredited diagnostic centres are very particular and follow the norms strictly. The post-graduates are recruited only for the laboratory work and the technical know-how. But when it comes to identifying the disease, it is the job of the concerned doctor,” Mr Sampat says.
Dr K. Rajesh, a senior radiologist from the city, explains that the ultrasound, CT scan, MRI, “have to be interpreted by a radiologist only. This work cannot be left to a technician.” He says the Act must be strictly implemented “to do away with quacks and unqualified people who are running the units.”
Sridhar Rao, president of the National MSc Medical Teachers’ Association, is not in favour of the new rules under the Act. “MSc degree holders are also registered in central and state medical councils and they must not be barred from interpreting and signing laboratory reports,” Mr Rao says.
“We want the government to re-think this issue as the students are trained in clinical diagnostics, including specimen collection, processing, quality control and also interpretation of the results.”
