Implement Pathology Lab Act, says MMA

KUALA LUMPUR: The Pathology Laboratory Act 2007 – passed 10 years ago – must be quickly implemented to stop indiscriminate and unnecessary blood screening tests which often created false alarms and sometimes harm.

Malaysian Medical Association president Dr Ravindran R. Naidu said the batteries of tests, including routine cancer markers offered directly to the public by private laboratories, caused unnecessary anxiety as well as harm.

“Anxiety triggered by false alarms can be significant and on occasion, patients may have to undergo multiple invasive tests, which can be harmful just to verify a false alarm,” he said in a statement here yesterday.

Dr Ravindran said the Act, to ensure laboratory testing services meet standards, was passed in 2007.

“The harm due to unregulated laboratory practice continues unabated,” he said, urging the ministry to implement the Act immediately.