HC notice to AAP govt over illegal pathological labs

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday issued a notice to the Delhi government on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking urgent action against all illegal pathological labs and diagnostic centres across the region. The case will come up for hearing on September 17.

The petitioner, Bijon Kumar Misra, through his counsels Shashank Deo Sudhi and Dr Shashi Bhushan, has requested the court for urgent implementation of the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act 2010 in the national capital region.

It was informed that the central government had written to the Arvind Kejriwal government on several occasions for implementation of the Act in order to regulate the pathological labs and diagnostic centres in the national capital.

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The petition, filed in the court, further claimed that only 10 per cent of the pathological labs and diagnostic centres in Delhi are accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Laboratories (NABL), which is an autonomous body of the Quality Council of India (QCI), and remaining are being operated illegally.

The petitioner, in the PIL, stated that the diagnostic centres and pathological labs are the backbones of the health system and the entire treatment of a person depends on such clinical reports. Hence, it is important that the government takes appropriate measures in order to have quality diagnostic centres and pathological labs.

The counsel of the petitioner also highlighted that clinical reports are being signed by technicians in place of specialised doctor MD (Pathology) as per the direction of the Supreme Court. The Delhi government was accused of playing with the safety and health of the citizens.