Kochi: The media is being used as a tool by multinational giants who are entering the medical laboratories market, it was alleged yesterday following a sting operation by a television channel in Kerala.
Some employees of a TV channel mixed the blood of a dog and a hen and gave it to three small and medium laboratories under the guise of human blood for routine blood tests.
The results showed that the samples tested positive for cholesterol and diabetes.
The TV channel questioned the efficiency of the laboratories.
“We strongly feel that the media is being used as a tool by giant multinational companies who are entering the medical laboratories market,” Sudeep Kumar, joint secretary of the Laboratory Owners Association pointed and said that this is unethical journalism.
“The giants...want to finish small and medium sized laboratories and it’s most unfortunate that the media is being used to tarnish us by engaging in sting operations like this,” said Kumar.
B Mohanachandran, a senior veterinary surgeon told IANS that “only through an antigen/antibody test can the blood of human and animals be differentiated and mind you animals also have cholesterol”.
“Under normal circumstances it’s only in medico-legal cases that detailed tests are done on blood samples to establish if its human blood. In this case it’s not fair to blame the laboratories,” said Mohanachandran.
IANS
