Lab technicians made to collect samples: Medical Laboratory Technicians Association

Chennai

A division bench comprising Justice R Subbiah and Justice Krishnan Ramasamy recorded the government submission that the lab technicians were refusing to perform the duty mandated to them, and directed the State and Centre to file their counters by July 1.

The association had submitted that lab technicians were not qualified to collect throat and nasal swab samples to test for COVID-19 and that only qualified ENT doctors could be engaged for such jobs.

Referring to the Centre’s guidelines that qualified personnel alone can collect samples, the association submitted that making its members take the samples would amount to violation of medical rules.

Also, pointing out that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has also issued a similar guideline, the plea noted that samples can be collected only through the trained healthcare worker in the presence of a clinician.