The Punjab Healthcare Commission convened a consultative meeting with pathologists and sector representatives to revise the minimum service delivery standards for clinical laboratories, aiming to align rules with current diagnostic technology, legal changes, and international best practices while improving patient safety and practical implementation.
The session brought together senior pathologists from multiple districts in person and additional experts via videoconference, along with representatives from the Pakistan Association of Pathologists, public and private healthcare providers, and professional bodies. Participants reviewed the existing standards, which were developed through a prior consultative process and operationalised after approval by the Commission’s technical and governing bodies.
Director Clinical Governance and Organisational Standards Dr Mushtaq Ahmad outlined the rationale for the update, citing advances in diagnostic methods, evolving healthcare legislation, and lessons learned from recent implementation. Attendees praised the PHC’s inclusive approach and noted that stakeholder engagement during development, dissemination, and inspection had already contributed to improved laboratory practice.
Key recommendations from the consultation focused on making the standards more practical and technically robust. Experts proposed categorising laboratories by scope of work so compliance requirements can be tailored to different facility types. They urged increasing the number of laboratories supervised by qualified pathologists to strengthen professional oversight and suggested rationalising which tests are permitted as point-of-care diagnostics to protect reporting quality.
Participants also recommended that PHC inspection teams adopt a more facilitative approach and include qualified pathologists on inspection teams to ensure technical accuracy and credibility. Additional proposals included merging certain indicators and introducing new ones to improve the grading and accreditation framework.
As a next step, attendees agreed to form a working group of senior pathologists to refine the proposals and submit consolidated feedback to the PHC. Those consensus-based inputs will be incorporated into a revised MSDS draft for consideration by the Technical Advisory Committee and the Board of Commissioners.
