State to regulate path labs, crackdown on illegal ones

The Maharashtra government said that it is planning to regulate pathology laboratories and simultaneously crackdown on the bogus ones mushrooming across the state

Mumbai The Maharashtra government said that it is planning to regulate pathology laboratories and simultaneously crackdown on the bogus ones mushrooming across the state.

The committee will consist of officials from the health department, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), medical education, Maharashtra paramedical association and the representatives of these labs (HT File)

Health Minister Rajesh Tope announced the formation of the committee, which has been given the mandate to frame rules in this regard, in the legislative council on Tuesday. “The committee will give its report within the next three months,” said Tope.

Tope said that the mandate of this committee would be to frame rules to start a pathology lab and suggest measures to crackdown on illegal ones. In addition, they will also seek to bring in uniformity in the prices of various tests being conducted in these labs.

The committee will consist of officials from the health department, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), medical education, Maharashtra paramedical association and the representatives of these labs.

The issue was raised by Shiv Sena legislator Manisha Kayande, who rued over the mushrooming labs. She said that of the total 13,000 such pathology labs in the state, 8,000 were illegal. She said that many of the labs don’t even have a pathologist, which is the pre-requirement for any lab. She said that these unscrupulous laboratories are playing with the lives of the people and this was aptly demonstrated during the pandemic.