MP: Lab sealed for diagnosing deficiency as blood cancer

The Morena district administration has sealed three pathology labs after a local mechanic’s complaint that a pathology lab in Morena had misdiagnosed his daughter with blood cancer.

The Morena district administration has sealed three pathology labs and constituted a four-member probe committee after a local mechanic’s complaint that a pathology lab in Morena had misdiagnosed his daughter with blood cancer.

Javed Mistri, a mechanic in Morena told HT over the phone that his family had suffered immensely after the lab said that his 18-year-old daughter, Kahkashan, had blood cancer.

“After that I went to Gwalior and Agra, where doctors said I should go to Delhi. Finally, we went to Delhi where doctors conducted fresh tests and told us that she didn’t have any blood cancer. She was just suffering from a calcium deficiency,” he said.

His daughter had received no treatment in the month-and-a-half-long period between the tests conducted at Morena and Delhi, Mistri said.

They were trying to determine how serious the disease was during the period, he said, adding, “It was a nightmarish period for my entire family.”

“We were devastated. I didn’t know what to do or how to help my daughter. I am just a mechanic and couldn’t have afforded the costly treatment for cancer. If this happened with me, it can happen to anyone here. So, the government needs to investigate this. I finally made a written complaint to the CMHO who assured me that the matter would be thoroughly probed,” he said.

Chief health and medical officer (CMHO) Morena Dr GS Rajput said that following the formal complaint by Mistri, he constituted a four-member committee which would submit its report to the collector on Wednesday.

The committee includes a pathologist, a medical expert, a resident medical officer and a district health officer.

The laboratory under fire, Acer Pathology Lab, has been sealed until the probe was on, Dr Rajput said and added, “Two other pathology labs —Royal Pathology lab and Neel Pathology lab — in the vicinity, which were also inspected, have also been sealed after it was found that they were violating norms. The registration of Neel Pathology lab had earlier been cancelled while Royal Pathology Lab had changed its place of operation without informing officials,” Dr Rajput said. A decision on the action to be taken will be taken only after the committee submits its report.

Meanwhile, HT spoke to Dr Shyam Aggarwal, a noted oncologist from Bhopal, about whether tests for cancer could turn out to be negative after a few months of the initial tests.

“Blood cancer is diagnosed from blood and bone marrow tests. If no treatment is given in the intervening period then it is possible that the test was wrong. But if some treatment such as steroids was given, then the new test could be negative after some time,” he said.

THE STORY SO FAR

A Morena lab diagnosed Kahkashan, the 18-year-old daughter of Javed Mistri, with blood cancer

Mistri, a mechanic, then went to Gwalior and Agra and finally to Delhi, where fresh tests conducted after a month and a half showed that the girl was just suffering from a calcium deficiency

Following this, Mistri lodged a written complaint with the Chief health and medical officer Morena Dr GS Rajput

The CMHO said that he constituted a four-member committee, based on the complaint, which would submit its report to the collector on Wednesday

The laboratory under fire, Acer Pathology Lab, has been sealed until the probe was underway

Two other labs, also found to be flouting norms — Royal Pathology lab and Neel Pathology lab — have also been sealed for now