MCI urged to review Stand on Signing of Lab Reports

The National M.Sc. Medical Teachers' Association (NMMTA) requested the Medical Council of India (MCI) to review its notification which clarified that only MBBS doctor can sign lab reports.

As per the MCI's notification the candidates having M.Sc with PhD or PhD in medical microbiology, medical biochemistry, life sciences, applied biology, cytogenetics and biotechnology are not eligible for singing lab reports.

"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.

Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported that the Medical council of India through the said letter to NABL had communicated its decision of its on the issue of who is eligible as a signatory authority for medical laboratory reports. The MCI had stated its decision as, "All lab reports to be signed/countersigned by persons registered with MCI/State Medical Council, ” which implied that MBBS can sign lab reports, but not Medical Msc/PhDs.

Read also: Only MBBS can sign lab reports, Msc Cannot: MCI

The move has not gone well with the NMMTA, which has shown strong opposition to the MCI decision.The M.Sc. Medical Teachers' Association was seem mentioning the country's dilemma of shortage of doctors, as a result the MCI's decision will disturb the country's work process.

Currently, the document 112 of NABL provides authorized 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 pressurized 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.

The National M.Sc. Medical Teachers' Association will meet  Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Health Minister J.P. Nadda to "convince them the importance of biomedical scientists in the diagnostic laboratories".