The Joint Council of Professions Supplementary to Medicine (JCPSM), said the Health Ministry had gone against its own policy by permitting government hospitals to seek assistance from private sector medical laboratories. The Council accused certain interested parties of prompting the Ministry to make such unfavourable policy decisions for personal gain.

JCPSM President, Ravi Kumudesh said yesterday (17), the policy decision permits government hospitals to have the tests carried out by private hospitals for which the government would pay. No PSM representative had been present at the time the decision had been taken by the Ministry.

In a communiqué to the Acting Health Secretary, the JCPSM held that laboratory services of government hospitals were better equipped than those in the private sector. The only issues government lab services face is the lack of funds to maintain machinery. Citing an example, he said major government hospitals lacked funds to pay the private sector for supplying reagents for lab machinery.

The service contracts signed between the Ministry and the agents for lab equipment, does not leave provision for the government sector to maintain the machines – despite having the knowledge to manufacture the reagents, he said.

The WHO has also promoted the Satellite Medical Laboratory System (SMLS) in Sri Lanka. The SMLS gives minor government hospitals which don’t have lab facilities the opportunity to get their medical testing done at the nearest government hospital with the facility to carry out the required test and fax the report. In developed countries, this service is carried out through the web. Hospitals in the most difficult areas which don’t have medical laboratory facilities, can utilise this service.