# MSDS for Clinical Laboratories: What Every Laboratory in Punjab Must Know Source: https://upmed.net/msds-for-clinical-laboratories-what-every-laboratory-in-punjab-must-know/ Published: 2026-10-24 · Updated: 2026-10-24 Category: MSDS for Clinical Laboratories Publisher: UPMED (https://upmed.net/) > PHC MSDS for clinical laboratories: 37 standards and 118 indicators in 10 functional areas, categories A, B and C, collection centres and the licensing steps. Series: Understanding MSDS for Clinical Laboratories | Post 1 of 45 ###### A Laboratory, Two Centres and the Wrong Manual Dr. Farhan Iqbal, a pathologist, had run his laboratory on GT Road, Gujranwala, for nine years. It offered routine tests, cultures and ELISA serology, and two collection centres, in Kamoke and Wazirabad, sent samples to it every afternoon. When he decided to prepare for the Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC), his manager, Mr. Shahid Latif, borrowed a hospital’s file and began copying its checklists on wards and operation theatres. Dr. Farhan stopped him after the first page. “We are not a hospital. The PHC has a separate manual for clinical laboratories, and our collection centres have their own place in it.” ###### Why Laboratories Have Their Own Standards The Punjab Healthcare Commission Act 2010 established the PHC to improve the delivery of healthcare services and to ban quackery in Punjab. It regulates all healthcare establishments (HCEs), public and private, through registration, enforcement of Minimum Service Delivery Standards (MSDS) and licensing on the basis of their implementation. After MSDS for hospitals and for Category III establishments, the PHC finalised the MSDS for Clinical Laboratories, covering small to large scale practices, in consultation with pathologists from all regions of Punjab, the Pakistan Association of Pathologists and the College of Pathologists of Pakistan. Recognition of the professional qualification of pathologists remains the domain of the PMDC. The document in use is the MSDS Reference Manual Clinical Laboratories, Edition 1 (CG-06RM-Ed1). ###### What the Manual Contains The manual has 37 standards and 118 indicators in 10 functional areas: - Responsibilities of Management (ROM): Standards 1 to 3, Indicators 1 to 13 - Facility Management and Safety (FMS): Standards 4 to 6, Indicators 14 to 24 - Human Resource Management (HRM): Standards 7 to 12, Indicators 25 to 40 - Management of Equipment and Reagents (MER): Standards 13 to 15, Indicators 41 to 53 - Recording and Reporting System (RRS): Standards 16 to 18, Indicators 54 to 62 - Quality Assurance (QA): Standards 19 to 22, Indicators 63 to 78 - Biosafety and Biosecurity (BSBS): Standards 23 to 28, Indicators 79 to 96 - Access, Assessment and Continuity of Care (AAC): Standards 29 to 31, Indicators 97 to 105 - Care of Patients (COP): Standards 32 to 34, Indicators 106 to 111 - Patient Rights and Education (PRE): Standards 35 to 37, Indicators 112 to 118 Each indicator has a survey process, compliance requirements and scoring rules, and an Assessment Scoring Matrix closes every standard. Annexures A to J provide the health related legislation, joining report, statement of ethics, confidentiality agreement, reference form, health questionnaire, orientation checklist, PHC charters, a client satisfaction form and complaints management. ###### Categories A, B and C The manual recommends classifying laboratories by scope of work: - Category A: immunology, PCR, histopathology, genetic testing, advanced haematology, enzyme and hormone studies and tissue typing. A full time technical head with a recognised postgraduate qualification in pathology, with subject specialists as section heads. - Category B: microbiology (culture and sensitivity), chemical pathology and ELISA or immunoassay. A technical head with an M.Phil in any branch of pathology. - Category C: routine clinical laboratory tests. A technical head with a recognised diploma or equivalent postgraduate qualification. Full time means 7 hours of daily presence and part time at least 4 hours. ###### Where Collection Centres Fit A collection centre is part of the laboratory’s regulatory picture. Its sign board must say that it is a collection centre, not a laboratory. The list of collection centres must appear in the laboratory’s application for registration or licence, and the PHC links each centre to the laboratory’s number in the form CL#/CC#. Laboratories that cannot meet the pathologist requirements may function only as collection centres for qualified laboratories, under a documented arrangement, until they become compliant. ###### The Road to a Licence The manual sets out the licensing process in eight steps: - Application for registration - The registered HCE applies for a licence with the required documents and fee - Training of HCE staff - Grant of a provisional licence - Pre-assessment, with hands-on training at the HCE - Regular inspection - Review of the inspection report by the Licensing and Accreditation Sub-committee - Grant of a regular licence, approved by the Board of Commissioners ###### What Dr. Farhan Did Next The hospital file went back. Dr. Farhan placed his laboratory in Category B, confirmed that his M.Phil met that requirement and divided the 10 areas among his senior staff. The chief technologist, Mr. Zeeshan Akram, took Quality Assurance and Biosafety; Mr. Shahid took Facility Management, Human Resources and Equipment. Both collection centres were added to the licence application. Within a month, every area had a gap list with owners and dates. ###### A Quick Self-Check - Do you hold the MSDS Reference Manual Clinical Laboratories, Edition 1? - Does your scope of tests place your laboratory in Category A, B or C? - Does your technical head’s qualification match that category? - Are all your collection centres listed in your PHC application? - Can your senior staff name the 10 functional areas?