Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government has ordered a statewide crackdown on pathology laboratories, diagnostic centres and doctors allegedly involved in manipulating medical reports, prescribing unnecessary diagnostic tests and exploiting patients financially.
In a directive, Director General of Medical and Health Services Dr Pawan Kumar Arun instructed all Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) to launch a special inspection drive within 30 days and initiate stringent action against laboratories and medical practitioners found violating regulations.
The order follows concerns over allegations of manipulation of pathology reports in collusion with private doctors, resulting in unnecessary treatment, physical suffering and financial exploitation of patients.
District-Level Inspection Committees To Be Formed
Under the new guidelines, every district will constitute an inspection committee headed by an Additional Chief Medical Officer. The committee must include a senior pathologist from a government hospital or medical college and the district's clinical establishment registration nodal officer.
The inspection teams have been directed to examine laboratory registration certificates, report registers, original data generated by diagnostic machines and records of payments made to collection agents.
Particular attention will be paid to discrepancies between original machine-generated results and reports issued to patients. Officials have been instructed to preserve evidence, including digital records, to prevent tampering during investigations.
Strict Registration And Reporting Requirements
The government has made it mandatory for all pathology laboratories and diagnostic centres to operate with valid registration under the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010, and applicable rules.
The order prohibits laboratory owners, technicians or unauthorised persons from independently operating pathology facilities or issuing reports without the required qualifications and authorisation.
Every diagnostic report must be certified and signed by a qualified pathologist or an appropriately authorised medical professional. Reports issued on pre-signed letterheads or without the physical presence of the authorised professional have been prohibited.
In an attempt to prevent manipulation, the government has directed laboratories to maintain original machine data and printouts for at least one year. Any handwritten or manual alteration of original test results has been expressly prohibited.
Special Audits Of Hospital Records
The government has also asked CMOs to conduct special audits of medical records involving patients admitted to private hospitals and nursing homes, particularly those suffering from dengue and other infectious diseases. The objective is to verify whether diagnostic reports were genuine and whether hospitalisation was medically justified.
Doctors found prescribing unnecessary investigations for commissions or other financial benefits will face action under the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002, and other applicable provisions. Government doctors found involved in such practices will face departmental proceedings.
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Criminal Action Against Fraudulent Laboratories
Laboratories found issuing fraudulent reports or operating without registration may be sealed, while criminal proceedings can be initiated under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
The government has also directed CMOs to undertake monthly surprise inspections of randomly selected laboratories. During these inspections, officials must collect samples of reports and compare them with the original machine-generated results.
CMOs will be required to submit reports on the inspection drive and action taken against erring laboratories, doctors and collection centres.
The Directorate General has made it clear that district health authorities will be held personally accountable for lapses in implementing the instructions.
