The National M.Sc Medical Teachers’ Association (NMMTA) has registered its protest against a letter written by the Medical Council of India (MCI) to National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) regarding the eligibility of the person authorised to sign diagnostic laboratory reports.
“We feel that the NABL was pressurised to exclude non-doctors from this role. NABL chose to seek the opinion of the MCI on this and after a delay of nearly three years, the council replied that all lab reports should be signed/countersigned by persons registered with MCI/State Medical Council,” said Dr. Sridhar Rao, the president of NMMTA.
‘Unethical step’
In 2005, members of an 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 a person with M.Sc. (Medical Biochemistry) degree with or without Ph.D is entitled to independently sign a medical biochemistry report in a clinical lab. “The MCI executive committee has claimed that it did not approve the recommendations of the ethics committee. It is unethical of the MCI,” the NMMTA said
