CMC lab tests run into trouble

Food outlets in Colombo varying from five star hotels to street side food vendors will be caught in crisis involving authorities of the Colombo Municipal Council and employees of the Colombo Municipal Council’s city microbiological laboratory. Employees of the laboratory charge that attempts are made outsource it to private laboratories including one owned by a close relative of a veteran politician in Western province and an abrupt interdiction of the head of the Laboratory Services have caused to deepen the crisis. Nasal swab for staphylococcus aureus, palm swab for saphylococcus aureus, stools full report and AOC, stool culture for salmonella, urine full report, full blood count, screening blood for SAT, screening for HAV and VDRL are some of the private investigations by the laboratory. “The city microbiological laboratory is a gazetted laboratory under the Food Act. It is a public health laboratory conducting examination of water, food and food handlers since 1974 and was created to investigate and prevent epidemic and separate cases of diseases, like typhoid fever, bacterial dysentery, hepatitis, sexually transmitted diseases etc.,” they charge.   They say that the Chief Medical Officer of Laboratory Services has been interdicted though she is the Additional Approved Analyst to conduct microbiological investigations in the city by the Minister of Health.   “The lab conducts a number of free tests for the city’s Poor. This includes cholesterol, lipid profile, thyroid function tests, cancer marker tests, HbA1c test for diabetes etc. Paid investigations are only 15 percent of their work while 85 percent is done free of charge,” they said. The Sunday Times learns that the CM laboratory has done private investigations for the last 30 years and the charges are based on the Council and Governor approval in 2007and that it has earned 75 million rupees within three year’s time mainly on private investigations done for food handlers. “Revenue from January 2014 to 31st of December 2014 is Rs.22 million while in 2013 it was over 27 million. Unfortunately, due to action by a few individual the income from investigations got vastly reduced,” they said.   Mayor of Colombo Municipal Council A.J.M. Muzammil said that there are no moves to privatize private laboratory tests but due to complaints by hoteliers over high charges and increasing capital cost for investigations have led to the authorities seeking elsewhere for private investigations.   “The CMC is not recommending one particular laboratory. We are still in the process of selecting hospital laboratories in which the tests can be conducted according to international standards. Following the assessment we will decide which hospital laboratory tests are accepted by the CMC,”he said adding the cost exceeds 25 million annually.   He said he cannot comment over the interdicting of the laboratory chief, as investigations are still being carried out.