Moratorium on the Issuance of Permit to Construct and License to Operate Free Standing Clinical Laboratories Nationwide

Due to the increasing number of clinical laboratories, there is greater competition for a limited number of patients needing laboratory examinations.  Many laboratories lower the prices of their services often leading to poor laboratory practices, and worst, releasing of laboratory results without actually performing examinations.  Spot checking of these clinical laboratories revealed unacceptable practices such as cutting of urine strips, use of expired reagents and minimal supervision of pathologists to name a few.  These prevailing practices adversely affect the quality of service and in turn health care delivery system.

In order to address this problem, the Bureau of Health Facilities and Services shall spearhead the creation of a quality assurance and monitoring program.  The quality assurance and monitoring program will be composed of a two-fold scheme namely regular conduct of spot-checking and development of an organized external quality assurance system.  The main objective of this program is to ensure good laboratory practice and maintenance of high quality performance among clinical laboratories in the Philippines.

In view of such undertaking, a moratorium on free-standing clinical laboratories will be imposed starting April 1, 2003 until such time that the quality assurance and monitoring program has been organized and in place.  Only applications for permit to construct received by the bureau on or before March 31, 2003 shall be processed.  The moratorium on freestanding clinical laboratories shall not apply to drug testing laboratories.

Republic of the Philippines Department of Health-BUREAU OF HEALTH FACILITIES AND SERVICES, BUREAU CIRCULAR No. 3  s. 2003