LAHORE - The Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) has closed down 13 illegal labs and collection centres, and served notices on 18 deficient ones for not fully implementing directions and standard operating procedures (SOPs).
As per the directions of Chairperson Board of Commissioners PHC Prof Dr Attiya Mubarak Khalid, the Commission is continuing with special inspections of laboratories and collection centres, which are being carried out in other cities of the province as well. In Lahore, during the last three days, the PHC special enforcement and inspection teams had checked 38 labs and collection centres. Out of these, 13 were sealed since these were either functioning without PHC’s registration and pathologists and qualified staff, carrying out tests in collection centres, not sending samples to main labs, collecting samples and conducting PCR Covid-19 test without approval.
These labs and collection centres included Al-Nasr Lab, Doctors’ Hospital Laboratory, The Medical Laboratories (two centres), Chugtai Plus Lahore Lab, Genome Lab, Uni Lab (Abid Pharmacy), Sundas Diagnostic Laboratory, Medicare X-Ray Clinic, Mansoor Laboratory, Primal Clinical Lab, Salman Chugtai Lab, and Lahore Medical Laboratory & Research Centre. Moreover, notices were served on 18 deficient labs and collection centres, which were functioning without memoranda of understanding (MoUs) for the waste disposal, lacking in internal quality assurance and non-availability of a pathologist at the scheduled hours.
Chief Executive Officer PHC Dr Muhammad Saqib Aziz has said that the Commission is continuing with its special inspections, which are being carried out across the province. “Since the last week, the PHC teams have visited 75 establishments, sealed 22 and issued notices to 40,” he said while mentioning that the owners and administrators of the labs and collection centres had been directed to fully implement directions and SOPs. “Stern action will be taken against the violators,” he warned.