With the Kerala Clinical Establishments (Registration, Regulation and Accreditation) Bill remaining in cold storage, allegedly due to pressure from the strong lobby of scanning centres and clinics, safety and other standards in laboratories in the state are very poor.
Currently, anyone can start a laboratory in the state without any sanctions from the Health Department.
Recent checks carried out by the Health Department on laboratories in Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam district, following a surge in Hepatitis-B cases, have exposed the unsafe practices in these labs.
Similar checks will be carried out in Pathanamthitta and Ernakulam districts where too such surges in Hepatitis B cases have been reported.
Employing unqualified laboratory staff, improper sterilisation facilities and absence of any waste treatment mechanism were some of the glaring irregularities detected in more than 100 laboratories.
Drafted on the lines of the Clinical Establishments Act of the central government, the Kerala Clinical Establishments Bill gives more teeth to the Health Department to monitor the activities of laboratories, scan centres and clinics. Stringent punishments including heavy fines and imprisonment for the violators are also prescribed.
The bill was ready and was expected to be presented in the current Assembly session. But it did not happen due to unknown reasons, Health Department sources said.