Getting wrong reports from pathology laboratories is not that uncommon, and trust in them is on shaky ground, according to a survey conducted by a social media platform. Nearly 30% of people who were surveyed said they had received wrong reports up to three times in a span of three years. As many as 34% of the respondents said they did not trust pathology laboratories, while 48% said they trusted the laboratories but remained vigilant.
The survey was conducted by LocalCircles, a social media platform, which received responses from 22,000 Indians on six questions related to the topic. The survey was prompted by a large number of people raising the issue of better regulations on path labs.
As many as half of the respondents felt that their doctors asked for more tests than required.
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The survey also discussed an important issue of cuts and commissions between doctors and laboratories. Nearly 92% of the respondents were of the view that laboratories found to be incentivising doctors should lose their licences; 89% said doctors’ earnings in a hospital should not be related to the tests they refer patients for; 66% respondents also said their doctors have suggested specific laboratories to get the tests done.
“All in all, the survey highlights the mistrust that citizens have of pathology laboratories and how, according to people, there is a strong need to address the doctor-laboratory nexus through the formation of clear consumer protection rules, and then driving enforcement of these rules through the local health and consumer departments,” said a press statement from LocalCircles. The platform plans to write to the government urging action.
Dr. Prasad Kulkarni, executive council member of the Maharashtra Association of Practicing Pathologists and Microbiologists, said they have been fighting the issue of bogus pathologists for several years. “We have been demanding regulations and checks on laboratories, which are not there. The regulations should be implemented as strictly as the Pre Conception and Pre Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act,” said Dr. Kulkarni.
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People should confirm the presence of qualified pathologists before submitting their samples in laboratories, he said.