Faulty diagnosis test results

The state of medical care in Chittagong is appalling. A number of individuals described to The Daily Star how local diagnosis centres provided them with results that were found to be at variance with results of tests in different labs. Some were so doubtful of the initial results that they went to Indian hospitals to recheck and found that their conviction was right.

Many bemoan the fact that Bangladeshi patients are increasingly taking treatment abroad. The said report by this newspaper gives an explanation why. If the local hospitals cannot maintain their credibility, they should not expect the patients to trust them.

What worries us more is the fact that many diagnosis centres use expired reagents to carry out their tests that yield incorrect outcomes. As reported by this newspaper earlier, the use of diluted and expired reagents by the diagnosis centres is pervasive in the country. Reagents prematurely expire if these sensitive materials are not handled carefully. Also, some labs produce low-quality materials that are likely to cut costs but generate wrong results.

Since medical diagnosis deals with one's health and even life, this demands the authorities' intervention. We urge the government to introduce an extensive inspection programme to monitor laboratories that produce sensitive reagents and train medical workers as to how to handle these materials properly. Otherwise, incorrect diagnosis results will not only lead to the patients' loss of faith in the local medical system but also cause irreparable damage to public health in general.