'Unqualified pathologists playing with lives of patients'

Non-reliable pathology laboratories being run by unqualified pathologists are playing havoc with the lives of poor patients in the country due to faulty medical reports, Dr Sajid Mushtaq, Consultant Pathologist, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre said.
Talking to Business Recorder, Dr Sajid Mushtaq said, "In Pakistan, with few exceptions, reliable pathology lab is a scarce phenomenon. Decades have passed, when mushroom medical laboratories in the private sector started practicing. It does not take much to recognize that the motive behind that whole exercise was profiteering with little regard for humanity. In the absence of a watch-dog authority, the scenario, more or less, is same now."
According to him, many laboratories with fancy front offices report manufactured tests results in many ways. Some of them just write down the results without actually running samples out to a second laboratory and then copy results on to their own result sheets; still others use sub-optimal instruments or reagents for analysing patient samples, producing spurious and unreliable results. A major source of concern is the standard or qualification of the technologist running the laboratory test. Most of these substandard laboratories prefer to hire personnel with minimal qualification or experience to run the instruments.
The pathologist, if one could be called one, comes in for the limited amount of time to sign the reports or may even decide to call up someone else to sign-out the test results under his name. A conducted survey already proved that these poor quality laboratories charged more or less the same amount for tests as charged by high quality laboratories. This practice risks the patients' health and even life, he said, adding: "Unfortunately, commercialisation has overshadowed the human aspects of the noble field of medicine and as a result poor quality laboratories have brought misery instead of healing for the unsuspected patients."
Highlighting the importance of accurate medical reports, Dr Sajid said, pathology lab testing plays an essential and pivotal role in the delivery of quality health care. Laboratory tests provide physicians, nurses, and other health care providers with objective information that is needed to prevent, diagnose, treat, and manage disease. Laboratory services are an integral part of disease diagnosis, treatment, monitoring response to treatment, disease surveillance programs and clinical research. Simple laboratories carry out simple tests like urine analysis and haemoglobin estimation whereas large centers are equipped with sophisticated automated technology and trained manpower to carryout complex investigations. It is done through the scientific analysis of specimens of blood, fluids, tissue and other samples; interpretation and reporting of clinically meaningful results; and provision of expert medical opinion through consultation.