September 10, 2007	Monday	Sha'aban 27, 1428

ISLAMABAD, Sept 9: Credibility of medical laboratories is central to the health of patients relying on test accuracy and proper diagnosis of diseases by medical practitioners.

A laboratory error not only causes complications for patients and shakes their confidence, but also raises question about the credibility of laboratories.

This fact is known to everyone that faulty results or wrong estimation of the severity of diseases prolong patient’s illness and put extra financial burden on them.

An error-ridden laboratory has a higher operating expenses due to repetition of tests and several other reasons including faulty equipment or unqualified staff.

It is a fact that several laboratories having state-of-the- art testing facilities are improving the confidence of patients in their services.

Experts define pathology as scientific study of the nature of disease and its causes, processes, development, and consequences.

The pathologists always emphasise the importance of maintaining a safe work environment in the laboratory to provide the patients reliable lab test results.

Dr Tahir Hameed, the head of a lab, said all medical tests were carried out in his lab by following proper procedure and using modern methods to get accurate results.

A pathologist, Dr Sohail Rashid Ahmad, said fresh chemicals were used during the lab tests to gain accurate results. He however claimed that, “some labs use out-dated chemicals in the tests which can affect the results.”

Over 100 authorised medical labs and health care centres are operating in public and private sector in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

But, it is yet to be ascertained whether all have the same working mechanism and their test results are the same. Nevertheless, owner of every laboratory claim to have best equipment and the best medical experts to judge the results.

“All the tests are performed by well qualified technicians under the supervision of expert pathologists in the lab. The tests are repeated to obtain valid results”, said Rana Imran Ali Khan, who is manager operations at a renowned lab in Islamabad.

Most of the laboratories provide a very high quality, immediate and reliable diagnostic services including cancerous and non-cancerous diseases.—APP