Around 50,000 private medical lab technicians in Kerala, a majority of them women, are staring at an uncertain future in the wake of the minimum standards for healthcare institutions under the Clinical Establishments Act coming into force in the State recently.
As per the minimum standards prescribed under the Kerala Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2018, the labs are classified into Level 1, Level II and Level III, based on the available facilities. Level I lab should have an area of 500 sq. ft, Level II 1,500 sq. ft, and Level III 2,000 sq. ft.
Level I lab should have at least one technician with a diploma in Medical Laboratory Technology (MLT). Level II labs should have a medical postgraduate doctor qualified in pathology, a lab technician with a diploma in MLT, a lab assistant and a cleaner. Level III labs should have trained medical postgraduates in pathology; either graduates or postgraduates in MLT as scientific officer; a trained lab technician with either a BSc in MLT or a diploma in MLT; a lab assistant; and a cleaner.
