According to reports, from 2016 to 2020, the Govt. Medical College & Hospital, Chandigarh, GMCH-32 used outdated kits for genetic testing of newborns and pregnant women for inborn genetic disorders, raising concerns about the validity of the tests.

Over the last five years, 8,736 tests were performed on pregnant women and 36,320 expired kits were used on infants. Kits for the triple test, dual test, Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) Deficiency, and Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia were among the expired test kits (CAH). The kits, according to senior doctors, were imported and didn’t operate well when the shelf life has expired.

Generally, pregnant women were screened for chromosomal and neural tube problems, as well as Downs syndrome, at the genetic centre. Congenital hypothyroidism (CH), Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) Deficiency, and Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia are three illnesses that are checked for in newborns at risk. The majority of well-established laboratories adhere to good laboratory practices, with testing and other procedures calibrated and standardized.

The GMCH has set up a committee, and the UT health secretary has ordered an investigation into the matter. (ETHealthworld  May 02, 2022)