Islamabad Cracks Down On Labs Issuing Fake COVID-19 Results

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority (IHRA) has started a crackdown on private COVID-19 testing laboratories in the Federal capital on issuing fake results of the infection tests with the support of travel agents.

These laboratories are unlawfully giving false PCR test reports of Coronavirus as per the people's desire with the involvement of some travel agents. It was also observed that some labs had improper dealings with travel agents and would issue COVID-19 reports without receiving blood samples or even falsified adverse reports to COVID-19 positive patients travellimng abroad.

"We will not allow anyone to run any such illegal business in the medical field. They are playing with the health of people while deceiving health authorities," warned Dr Quaid Saeed Akhunzada, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the IHRA.

He said that IHRA inspections teams had started surprise visits to all such labs and their collection points. He added the authority had suspended the services of three laboratories while further were under observation.

"We are ready to perform our role of policing for legal health establishments also to protect citizens from wrongdoings of the health setups as we have been given mandate with the power to ask from these setups about any illegality with citizens." Dr Akhunzada vowed.