PUNE: The Delhi High Court recently reiterated its judgment dated December 15, 2017 that the ‘Technical Laboratory Reports’ need not be signed by the medical practitioners and members of the Association of Clinical Biochemists and Microbiologists (ACBM) who are MSc or PhD in microbiology, biochemistry, genetics, life-sciences are competent to sign and authorise the ‘Technical Laboratory Reports’.
Speaking at a press interaction, Ajay Soni, Joint Secretary of ACBM said, “Biochemists and microbiologists have worked hard in the field of medicine and research. We are all qualified to conduct a test and get the results. These results are then taken up by the doctors, who prescribe the medicine. We, during our academics, are taught to analyse the blood samples and do the tests. Many biochemists and microbiologists teach MBBS students because doing tests is our work and we are totally qualified to do so,” said Soni.
In a letter dated June 14, 2017, Medical Council of India (MCI) communicated the decision of its Executive Committee to National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) that “all lab reports to be signed or countersigned by persons registered with MCI or state medical council”. MCI also directed NABL to abide by this decision and widely publicise the same to all concerned. Accordingly, NABL communicated this decision to all concerned which resulted in panic among those who are MSc or PhD in microbiology, biochemistry, genetics and life sciences, who have been signing the lab reports as authorised signatories.
However, after the court judgment, the position is that members of the ACBM are competent to sign and authorise the report and it need not be signed by a medical practitioner.
