Reports suggest that some doctors and nurses in public healthcare facilities are collaborating with laboratory professionals to direct patients towards specific private labs, even though government-run facilities offer similar services at lower costs.
According to The Herald, medical staff have been observed recommending certain private laboratories for tests such as blood, urine, or stool samples. In some cases, they also provide contact details for sample collection services associated with these private labs.
These selected private labs reportPrivate Lab Recommendations by Medical Staff Spark Controversy Over Patient Costsedly have personnel stationed at hospitals to quickly collect samples and deliver results directly to the patient’s bedside.
The Medical Laboratory and Clinical Scientists Practitioners Council of Zimbabwe has pledged to address this issue, arguing that these practices increase the financial strain on patients, particularly those from lower-income backgrounds who might feel pressured to use the recommended private labs.
Agnes Chigora, the registrar of the med lab council, highlighted these concerns during a Health Professions Authority meeting on Tuesday, 06 August. She remarked:
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“If you visit government institutions, you might notice motorbikes stationed there. Does this imply that the public lab is not capable of performing these tests?
It appears there is collaboration with health practitioners, including nurses and doctors, who are pushing for lab tests to be done at certain private facilities. If a patient opts for a public institution, it’s because of affordability. Forcing them to use an expensive lab is unfair.”
Chigora encouraged the public to report such practices to her office or the Health Professions Authority and warned that medical practitioners involved in this misconduct could face disciplinary actions.
She emphasized that doctors and nurses should focus on providing quality care and making informed decisions about laboratory services that serve the patient’s best interests, not personal financial gain.
To address this issue, Chigora announced that the council, in conjunction with the Ministry of Health and Child Care, will soon conduct a certification exercise for all laboratories to ensure only those meeting proper standards remain operational. She added:
“With the surge of labs opening during the COVID-19 pandemic, many were focused on profit. While routine inspections are conducted by the Health Professions Authority, our council is taking additional steps. We are visiting labs to ensure they meet minimum standards. We have developed a national certification program with trained auditors to evaluate laboratories against specific benchmarks.”
Pharmacists Council of Zimbabwe registrar Alois Karonga also noted that the council has addressed various reports of malpractice among pharmacists, including dispensing medications without prescriptions, selling expired or unregistered drugs, and operating pharmacies without registered pharmacists.
These issues have led to disciplinary actions against offending pharmacists.
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