Clinical Biochemists Demand Restoration of Report-Signing Rights
The Bangladesh Association of Clinical Biochemists (BACB) has held a press conference pressing five key demands, including the restoration of clinical biochemists’ authority to sign pathology reports and the formulation of a competency-based policy in line with international standards.
The remaining demands include the immediate withdrawal or amendment of Issue No. 5 of a recently issued directive, the formation of a separate council for clinical biochemists alongside the Allied Health Council as proposed by the Health Reform Commission, and the elimination of professional discrimination by prioritising patient safety and the overall interests of the healthcare sector.
The press conference was held on Wednesday morning, 21 January, at the Zahur Hossain Chowdhury Hall of the National Press Club in the capital. The event was chaired by the organisation’s convener, Md Mahbubur Rahman, and attended by senior leaders of the association as well as students from Dhaka University, Jahangirnagar University and several other universities.
Gopalganj University of Science and Technology Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Hossain Uddin Shekhar attended the programme as the chief guest. Jahangirnagar University Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Sohel Ahmed and Professor Dr Iarul Kabir were present as special guests.
Speakers at the press conference said that an emergency directive on pathology laboratories issued on 5 January by the Director (Hospitals and Clinics) of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) stated that “doctors authorised to sign reports must be BMDC-registered medical graduates.” The Bangladesh Association of Clinical Biochemists expressed deep concern and strong objection to this directive.
They described the instruction as discriminatory, ill-motivated, unjustified and contrary to scientific laboratory realities. Since independence, they said, specialised diagnostic centres and laboratories in Bangladesh have consistently allowed histopathologists, haematologists, microbiologists, clinical pathologists and medical/clinical biochemists to sign test reports within their respective areas of expertise. This, they noted, is a long-established national practice and an internationally recognised professional standard.
The speakers further said that in Europe, America, the Middle East, as well as in neighbouring countries such as India and Sri Lanka, biochemists and laboratory specialists routinely sign diagnostic reports alongside physicians. In many cases, they also serve as educators responsible for training medical graduates. However, the new directive effectively renders these skilled and experienced professionals unqualified, which they termed entirely unscientific and deeply damaging to professional dignity.
DBTech/JNN/EK/OR
