NEW DELHI: Never shy away from bargaining when approaching any pathology laboratory for routine medical tests. With practically no price or quality yardstick regulations by the Government on various tests offered by the path labs and most of them indulging in giving commissions to doctors and medical establishments for referring patients to their centres, a patients may be paying as much as 25-50 per cent extra of the actual cost for any test.

With the trend working to the advantage of the medical and its auxiliary community, nobody is complaining.

What is worse is the fact that patients are in some cases even encouraged to go in for tests that they don't require and pay for the same.

"Pathology laboratory testing is an area that has seen little regulation by the Government. While the Medical Council of India (MCI) rules prohibit physicians from indulging in giving or taking gift, gratuity, commission or bonus in consideration of or return for the referring, recommending or procuring of any patient for medical, surgical or other treatment, the rule is often flouted.

In fact those in the business know that doctors and medical establishments get anywhere between 25-50 per cent of the patients fee. The path lab also charges according to their varying cost price per patient. It is not uncommon to see a patient being recommended tests that he may not really need,'' explained a city doctor.

Agrees Leena Chatterjee of SRL Ranbaxy, an expert in the field, who points out that private initiative in the area seems to have brought in some quality control.

"Unfortunately path labs is one big neglected area in terms of laying down quality standards by health care policy makers of the country. One is witnessing the mushrooming of the so-called labs in every street corner. It is basically the Shops and Establishment Act that governs the opening of the lab in a neighbourhood locality. .''

Speaking about what causes the price difference in various tests offered in the market, Dr. Lal's Path Lab vice-president (sales) Vijender Singh says: "It is true that there are no set regulation monitoring the price escalation and equipment quality in the sector. However, what the patients are paying for is the improved technology and the calibration and controls used to get the test results. Quality and accuracy of test results are what the patients are paying for.''

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